What Twist of Fate
by Perspeculi
Summary: Once upon a time, a healer fell in love with the sun, and she fell in love with him. It did not end well. Perhaps a second chance will give them the ending that was stolen from them. (Ardyn/OC)
1. Anima

_But who prays for Satan? Who in eighteen centuries, has had the common humanity to pray for the one sinner that needed it most, our one fellow and brother who most needed a friend yet had not a single one, the one sinner among us all who had the highest and clearest right to every Christian's daily and nightly prayers, for the plain and unassailable reason that his was the first and greatest need, he being among sinners the supremest?-Mark Twain_

 _"_ Times are gone for honest men  
And sometimes far too long for snakes  
In my shoes, a walking sleep  
And my youth I pray to keep  
Heaven sent hell away  
No one sings like you anymore"  
-"Black Hole Sun" Soundgarden

* * *

"Ellie? Ellie, wake up. Wake up!"

Elpis woke with a gasp, sitting upright too quickly and banging her head against something hard. That something yelped as Elpis cursed, her eyes watering.

"Shit, Laelia, I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"

"No," Laelia said, putting a hand to her nose which was quickly reddening. Her hazel eyes were bright with concern. "You were crying in your sleep again. Were you having a nightmare?"

"Uh," Elpis said, rubbing forehead and trying to wipe the hazy sleepiness from her eyes. Her other hand fumbled for the clock she knew was somewhere on her bedside table. "Can't remember."

Which was the truth, whether Laelia believed her or not. All that remained of her dreams-or nightmares-was a sense of unease deep inside her mind.

Through her window, the early morning sun shone through slanted blinds. Already, Elpis could hear the noise of Insomnia through the apartment walls. The sound of engines came and went as cars passed by their building on the street below.

Laelia sighed and picked up Elpis' clock from where it lay on the floor. "You're going to be late," she said, showing her the hour.

"Shit!" Elpis leapt out of her bed and rushed past Laelia into their shared bathroom. She nearly tripped over her housemate's discarded clothes that laid on the floor, right next to the clothes hamper.

"I'm gonna murder Alexus." She picked up the clothes and tossed them aside. "Okay, okay - your school uniform. I hung it up on the back of the bedroom door. Did you-"

"Yes, I'm wearing it now." Laelia stepped into the doorway and leaned on her cane, peering at Elpis curiously. "I don't think you washed anything of yours, though."

Hadn't she? Elpis looked to the hamper and saw that most of her clothes were still crumpled inside. _Well shit,_ she thought. Now that she thought on it, she could remember getting home the night before and being so bloody exhausted that she had made certain both of Laelia's school uniforms were clean, then dropped into bed.

With one hand-the other was hurriedly brushing her teeth-Elpis dug out a black shirt and jeans that lay on top. They were wrinkled, but they didn't smell. At least, not too badly.

 _Twenty-nine years old,_ Elpis thought, and _I do not have a single fucking thing together. Amazing._

Spitting out her toothpaste, Elpis began pulling off her night tank and shorts. "Have you eaten?" she asked Laelia.

"Yeah, I had cereal," Laelia said. A guilty look flashed across her face. "There wasn't enough left over for you, though."

"Don't worry about it," Elpis said as she clasped on her bra and pulled on new knickers. Those, at least, she'd had the presence of mind to wash. Mentally, she added going to the store to her to-do list. "Go get your books together, I'll be out in a second."

Laelia left and Elpis finished dressing in record time. The only thing she spent a careful amount of time on was putting on her eye patch over her right eye. After making certain it was secure, Elpis hurried out into the living room. The door to their roommate's bedroom was closed-no surprise there-as Elpis rushed past it. She grabbed a breakfast bar from a cupboard and met Laelia at the front door, shoving on her sneakers.

"Right," Elpis said, "have we got everything?"

Laelia nodded, her bookbag swinging in her hand. Elpis took her yellow jacket down from a hook next to the door. As she was locking the front door behind them, Laelia said, "I'm sorry, I should have woken you up sooner, but you were so tired last night..."

"Hey, no," Elpis said, shaking her head firmly. She turned to face Laelia and gave her a level look. "It's not your job to look after me like that, okay? Don't even think about it."

Laelia scrunched up her mouth in the stubborn way she always had, but mercifully any retort she could have made was pushed aside in favor of hurrying to the elevator and then to the bike rack outside their apartment building. They paused briefly while Laelia fed the stray orange tabby cat that hung around their apartment building.

Elpis unchained her bike, handed Laelia's helmet to her, then put on her own. The roar of the engine was her greeting to the city as she took off.

Even early in the morning, Insomnia was already busy. People packed the sidewalks, all caught up in getting to their own destinations-men and women in suits, others in more casual gear, some looking at their phones or yelling into it. Cars honked and raced by everyone, the smell of gas thick in the air. It made Elpis long for the quiet mornings of her little town, where the loudest thing that might be heard before ten AM was a bird.

But then, a person could disappear in Insomnia. They couldn't do that in her hometown. Not unless they died.

As they neared Laelia's school, the people in business suits gave way to other children Laelia's age in their uniforms, laughing and shouting and taking selfies. Elpis stopped at the ramp up to the front doors and helped Laelia off the back of her bike.

"You've got your meds?" Elpis asked, kicking herself for not doing so before they'd left.

"Yes," Laelia said with a note of exasperation. She took her cane from Elpis and set it under her arm. Her stockings hid the long scar on her leg from her other classmates-and Elpis had had to fight the administration to get them to bend the dress code enough to allow it-but she couldn't walk without her cane. The bones and muscles simply never healed as they should have. "Stop worrying. Mr. Erastus is going to yell at you again if you're late."

"Yeah, and then he won't do anything else about it, because I'm the best he's got," Elpis said, waving her hand dismissively. She smiled at Laelia and playfully, gently, shoved her shoulder. "Alright, I'll let you go. See you back here this afternoon."

"Bye." Laelia set off up the ramp, quickly finding her group of friends and joining them. Elpis watched for a minute, still smiling to herself, before she glanced at her watch and cursed under her breath.

Erastus was definitely going to yell at her.

Elpis shoved in her earbuds and took off on her bike once more, dodging cars. She knew the city and her own routes through it so well that she let her mind wander as she rode. What _had_ she been dreaming about? In the rush of getting ready, she'd completely forgotten the unease she'd woken with. It crept back now that she thought about it, gathering between her tense shoulders.

She rolled them and shook her head. It was probably a nightmare about her life before Insomnia. No need to go back over it.

At a stoplight, Elpis found herself studying one of the statues of a former Lucian King. She didn't know all of them by name nor title, unlike Laelia, but she did know the one before her: the Mystic. It was an imposing figure, even more so than the others. Elpis figured it was probably the massive horns on his head that lent him an air of danger.

The long scar on her chest twinged painfully and she winced, rubbing at it. A car behind her honked loudly, scaring the hell out of her, and Elpis realized the stoplight was green.

 _I need to get my head out of the clouds,_ Elpis thought.

She stopped in front of Erastus' Galahdian cuisine restaurant. It was empty as the breakfast rush had died down, but Erastus would be inside getting ready for the lunch rush. As she walked in the door, she saw a hand reach for her and felt one of her earbuds be pulled out from her ear.

"Hey!"

Crispin smirked at her, crossing his arms over his chest. His white cook's apron hung from the back pocket of his jeans. "You're late. Again."

"No shit," Elpis mumbled, going behind the counter and digging through the pockets of her yellow jacket for her employee ID card. Once she found it, it took several swipes for the tablet to read it and punch her in.

"I had to cover for you while Erastus cooked," Crispin said from behind her. "I've got your tips."

Elpis took a deep breath. She would not show him how much she needed those tips. "Yeah? Keep 'em."

"Nah, I'm doing fine on my own," Crispin said, pulling them out of his other pocket and waving the gil in her face. He smiled. "I'll give them to you, free of charge."

"Uh huh," Elpis said, heading into the kitchen in an attempt to put some space between them. "Hey, Erastus! I'm here."

She heard a clang from somewhere in the depths, then saw Erastus' bald head pop up from behind the pass through. His white skin was red from the heat of the kitchen. "Elpis Maialen! That's the third time this week, you dumbass. I'm not going to put up with your lazy ass much longer."

 _Yeah, that's what you always say,_ Elpis thought to herself. She put on a look of contrition and bowed her head. "I'm sorry, Erastus. I had to help Laelia with her homework. What is it with those academies? They give kids like six hours worth of homework every day."

Erastus softened slightly, though he still looked grumpy. It wasn't technically a lie-she sometimes helped Laelia with some stuff-but Elpis felt no guilt in appealing to Erastus' softer side. As a single father of four, he knew how difficult it was to take care of kids.

"Whatever," Erastus said, jabbing a finger at some full bags. "Get those out before I change my mind and fire you."

"Sir, yessir," Elpis said. She grabbed up the bags and turned, only to nearly run into Crispin. He'd put on his apron and hairnet, and it said something about his vanity that he thought he looked good in both. She supposed he was handsome to some people. He had ruddy skin, blond hair, and grey eyes. He worked out often enough to give him good muscle definition but not to be obsessed with it.

Too bad his personality didn't match up with his looks.

"So, about your tips-"

"I said keep them." Elpis shoved past him and left the kitchen.

"C'mon, Maialen! All I want is one date."

"What happened to free of charge, huh?"

Crispin shrugged. He checked out his reflection in the restaurant windows, messing with his hairnet. "I'd pay for dinner. I think that's fair."

Elpis sighed as she got the food secured in her bike's basket. "The answer is no. Like it was the other hundred times you've asked. Seriously, leave me alone about it."

"Aw, come on." Crispin grabbed the handles of her bike before she could escape. Elpis briefly pictured hitting him in the face with something nice and hard-a stave, maybe.

 _Stave?_ she thought distantly. _The hell is a stave?_

"How can you know you wouldn't like it if you don't give it a try?"

Elpis smiled sweetly. "Because I'm a grown ass woman who knows what she wants out of a relationship, and you're not it. You're the kind of guy who wouldn't make sure a woman orgasms before he did. Now get out of my way."

She made to run him over and he yelped, jumping out of the way. Rolling her eye, Elpis kicked off and made her escape. The first few times Crispin hadn't taken no for an answer, she had fumed for hours. Now, she was only annoyed. It was sad, the things a person could get used to when they had no choice.

And she'd lied, sort of. Elpis had no idea what she wanted out of a relationship. She hadn't been on a date in years. Still, she was pretty sure it wasn't Crispin.

She let the city swallow her whole and pushed Crispin out of her mind. Erastus was popular enough to keep her keep the entire day. She even got to deliver to some Glaives near the palace. Elpis took a minute to admire a close up view of the palace before she got shooed away by the guards.

Her last stop of the day were regulars, Minerva and Ennius. Both were disabled from when Niflheim invaded their hometown, so they ordered from Erastus often. They'd taken to her as soon as she'd first shown up on their doorstep. It was sort of like having grandparents, which Elpis secretly liked. Her only family now was Laelia.

Elpis let herself in, as she'd had since the second time she'd delivered to them. "Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Albescu."

Minerva's brown eyes lit up at seeing Elpis. Her kinky hair had long since turned white, but her cool brown skin still looked almost flawless. Elpis could only hope she aged half as well.

"Good morning, Ellie. Ennius," Minerva said, patting her husband's arm as he slept in his wheelchair, "wake up, little Ellie is here with our breakfast."

"And lunch, and dinner," Elpis said with a smile. She set the bags down on their rickety table, untying it and taking out the boxes of their breakfast. "Let me put these others away and get your plates and silverware."

"You're not a maid," Ennius said with intense disapproval. He turned down the volume on their television, which was set to some news channel. "You better not let other people treat you like one."

"No, sir," Elpis said. "I'm doing this because I like you both."

Their apartment was small and cozy. Minerva had waged a long war with the manager in order to paint the walls whatever she wanted. The kitchen was a bright, cheerful yellow; the living room was a light green. Pictures of their family were scattered about. Their daughter had been killed during Niflheim's invasion, so now it was only them. More than once, Minerva had invited Elpis to rest for a bit and showed her the contents of four separate photobooks.

Minerva rolled over to the dining table. "And how is Laelia? Does she have a boyfriend yet? Girlfriend?"

"Ah, no," Elpis said with a small laugh. She pulled out some plates and set them down on the table with the silverware. "She's focusing on her studies."

"Smart girl," Ennius said. He unfolded a napkin and set it on his lap.

Minerva nodded in agreement. "There's always time for romance later. What about you, Ellie?"

 _Wow,_ Elpis thought, _everyone is overinvested in my romantic life. Or lack thereof._

"No, ma'am," Elpis said, firmly. "Too busy. In fact, I better get going. Enjoy your meals."

"Look what you did," Ennius said to Minerva, "you scared her off!"

"I did not," Minerva said regally. "If she doesn't want to talk about it, that's her choice." She looked worriedly at Elpis, her gaze lingering over the eyepatch she wore. "But you'll find someone some day, won't you? I worry about you. You need someone to take care of you, too, when you're done taking care of everyone else."

For some reason, the words hit her hard. Elpis stopped, her hand on the doorknob of their entrance, and a wave of familiarity came over her. Gods, yes, she wanted someone she could lean on. More than anything.

Something took form in her mind-a shape, maybe, of a man-but it was gone before she could think on it too hard.

Shaking off the weird mood, Elpis smiled broadly at the older couple. They'd been together since they were children. It would have been nice to have something similar, but her childhood friends had drifted away even before she'd left town. Never mind any kind of romance.

"I'll keep that in mind," she said respectfully, bowing her head. "Have a good day, you two. Take care."

* * *

Elpis sighed as she count the last of her gil. She swept it all into her bag and hoped she'd make some better tips at the bar later that night. Otherwise, it was going to be a tight two weeks once she'd paid the rent.

Erastus frowned at her, which she didn't immediately take note of. He was always frowning at something, especially her. "You can't complain about the rent since you didn't take up the King's offer of housing."

"Yeah, I know." Elpis took a long drink of her soda, hoping it would wake her up enough to get her through the rest of her day. "But I couldn't be a Glaive. And I didn't have any other skills they could make use of."

The lie slipped from her tongue so easily she barely noticed it. She didn't know whether or not she could be a Glaive, actually - but it was safer to stay out of the King's notice. She wanted a quiet, normal life with Laelia. They both deserved that. Working for King Regis and the Lucian kingdom wouldn't be the way to do it.

Erastus wandered over to the television he had hanging on the wall, distracted by something. Elpis used his distraction to scratch at the skin under her eyepatch. Just a few more hours and she could go home and take it off. Until tomorrow.

"-Things were hectic in the capitol today as the Lucian government announced full acceptance of what some are criticizing as the unilateral peace terms proposed by Chancellor Izunia of Niflheim."

Elpis blinked slowly, then looked up to the television. _Izunia,_ she thought idly as she sat back in her chair. _Why do I know that name?_

"Son of a bitch," Erastus said.

"The signing of the truce will see governing power over all Lucian territories transferred to the Empire, with the sole exception of Insomnia. In return, Niflheim guarantees the continued safety of Insomnia and its citizenry, as well as cessation to all hostilities, bringing a decisive end to this long and bitter war."

Elpis motioned to the TV. "When the hell did the Empire pull this stunt?"

Erastus stared at her as if she'd grown a second head. "Maybe if you took your fucking earbuds out every now and then, you'd know this shit. The Chancellor was in the capitol yesterday. It's been all over the news for the last twenty-four hours."

"Yeah, well," Elpis said, getting up from her chair and shrugging her jacket back on. "I don't have a TV at home. And I don't watch the news, anyway."

The newscaster continued, "While Chancellor Izunia denied our request for an on-air interview, his office did release a statement-"

Erastus shut the TV off with a sound of disgust. "Don't you give a damn about this, dumbass? You're a refugee, same as most everyone else in this part of the city. The Empire took your home too, didn't they? And now the King is just gonna roll over and let them keep it."

Elpis finished off her soda and threw the can into a recycling bin. "Niflheim wasn't the reason I left my hometown. They had already invaded when Laelia and I left."

There was an awkward silence before Erastus glowered at her. "So because it doesn't affect you, you don't care? Real nice, dumbass."

"That isn't what I said," Elpis snapped. Gods, this man tried her patience sometimes. "Yeah, it sucks. It's not fair. But I can't do a damn thing about it, now can I? So why should I waste energy getting upset about it when I still have another job to go to and Laelia to take care of?" Elpis shook her head. "King Regis will do whatever he wants, as will the Empire. The rest of us are just battle fodder."

She slammed the front door behind her, unwilling to admit how much Erastus' words had gotten to her. Of course she didn't want the Empire to claim control over all of Eos. And she wasn't stupid: Despite their words now, it was only a matter of time before they took Insomnia, too. Maybe not yet, and maybe not even in the next ten years, but one day they would.

All she could do was hope that when they did, enough of Insomnia would be left standing that she and Laelia could continue their lives.

 _Izunia,_ Elpis thought once more as she got her helmet on. _What an unusual name._

* * *

Everything was going exactly as planned. Of course, how could it not, when it was not his plan that was being put into motion, but the Crystal's?

Ardyn smirked to himself, rubbing a finger along his top lip. The city of Insomnia passed him by outside the car window as his escort drove him back to the hotel, the greys of the buildings broken up by the colorful ad boards. Truly, the city was a marvel that outshone Solheim itself. Somnus had created something precious, certainly.

He couldn't wait to see it all burn. He fully planned on dancing in the ashes, once it was all over.

It didn't even matter that the city-the kingdom-should have been his. If he'd wanted to rule something, he could have easily manipulated Iedolaus into giving him control of the Niflheim Empire. So much about him had changed in the last two thousand years except this: He had no interest in being a king. Far easier to work in the shadows, anyway, instead of from a throne.

The car came to a stop before a red light, and a flash of yellow caught Ardyn's eye. It was hard for it not to-the people of Insomnia dressed as poorly as Somnus had, in dreary colors and dull patterns. Something so bright stood out immediately.

And yellow had been Elpis' color.

The yellow belonged to a jacket a woman on a motorcycle was wearing. Ardyn stared, uncertain as to why his gaze was drawn to her.

And then the woman wearing the yellow jacket glanced over, as if she could sense she was being stared at, and Ardyn's lifeless heart jumped into his throat.

Elpis stared back at him.

The daemons in his head screamed, causing him to wince. When he'd looked up again, the car had moved away from her. Ardyn wanted to snap the driver's neck and escape from the blasted metal cage, but instead clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles turned white. Slowly, the daemons in his soul rested once more, but Ardyn could not do the same so easily.

As the car drove on, Ardyn shook his head. It couldn't have been Elpis. She was dead, and her soul had moved on. He hadn't seen her since the day Verstael had come into his prison. And this woman, now that Ardyn could think clearly, differed from Elpis. Her right eye had been covered by an eyepatch.

It couldn't have been she.

 _Unless she has been brought back,_ a quiet voice said in his mind. It took Ardyn far too long to recognize it as his own.

Fury seized him, and with it, the darkness almost escaped his control. He took a deep breath to calm himself, biting his tongue until the foul, rotten taste of the Starscourge slid down the back of his tongue like phlegm. The taste had long since lost its ability to make him gag.

No. He wouldn't allow it. He wouldn't even humor the very thought that the Astrals, in their infinite cruelty, would bring Elpis back from the dead. Ardyn wasn't even certain it could be done, though when he'd looked at Lunafreya, he could not deny she looked almost exactly like Eida. And if Noctis, from the few pictures Ardyn had seen, looked anywhere near as much as Somnus...

"No," Ardyn hissed to himself.

He was already playing along to one game set in motion long before Noctis had been born. Whatever this new game was that the Crystal and the Astrals had created and brought Elpis into - no. He would not allow it. Elpis was meant to be resting peacefully. She was meant to be with her mother and sister and niece now.

That woman, whoever she was, was not Elpis. Ardyn refused to consider it.

And yet, deep inside his soul, a feeling long forgotten stirred once more: Fear.


	2. The Terrors of the Night

Elpis banged on her roommate's door for the fifth time that evening. "Alexus! Come on, I need your portion of the rent."

Silence greeted her. Biting back a growl, Elpis turned away and went back to the kitchen. The sausage she was cooking as part of breakfast sizzled in the pan and smelled heavenly, helping her mood a little.

Laelia sat in the living room, her head bent close to their radio, messing with the dials until she found the channel she was looking for.

"Please tell me you aren't putting on that pop station," Elpis called from the kitchen as she prepared their plates, her voice light. "I can only listen to real Emotion so many times in a day, and they'll be playing it at the bar."

Laelia didn't reply. She'd been in a quiet mood ever since the news of the treaty a few days before. Neither did she look up as Elpis set down their plates and sat. As Elpis was closer to the radio now, she could hear what Laelia was listening to.

"-We are mere hours from the signing of the historic treaty between the Niflheim Empire and the kingdom of Lucis-"

Elpis gave Laelia a sidelong glance. She should have guessed that Laelia would be listening to the news.

Erastus had closed the restaurant for the day to join his sons at the palace for the celebration. Elpis had taken on an extra shift at 7th Heaven, the bar she worked at, just to make up for the loss in funds. Why anyone would want to go stand around and watch two old white guys sign a piece of paper, she didn't know.

Elpis turned her attention back to Laelia. She poked the younger girl on her good leg with her toe.

"Okay, come on," Elpis said. "What's up?"

Privately, she prayed it was just hormones. She could handle that.

Laelia bit her lip and turned off the radio. She picked at her breakfast. "I'm scared. Of Niflheim."

Elpis winced inwardly, though she tried not to show it. "Hey," she said, putting a hand on Laelia's shoulder. "Look at me. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you, okay? Just like before. You've faced down Niflheim before and come out of it."

"Yeah, but not unscathed," Laelia said, looking at her cane. "Everyone seems so happy about it. Like they don't know what Niflheim is really like."

If she recalled correctly, most of the students at Laelia's school weren't refugees. Thanks to the Wall, they'd never had to worry about Niflheim.

"Well," Elpis said with a sigh. "They don't. All they've heard are things from the news or other people. It's one thing to hear or see it on a television screen and another to actually live it. But what happened back home won't happen here. This is meant to be peaceful."

Laelia gave her a withering look that she must have learned from Elpis when she wasn't paying attention. The effect was so bizarre all Elpis could do was blink for a moment.

"Peace isn't really their thing," Laelia said.

"Yeah," Elpis said. "But this time will be different."

"Aren't you worried?"

Elpis licked her lips and looked away, wondering how to explain it. Niflheim didn't scare her anymore. Anyone could turn on her at any moment, not just the Niflheiman people. It had been a hard lesson to learn. It wasn't one she'd forgotten in the last ten years.

"No," she finally said, giving Laelia a small smile. "I'm worried about Alexus maybe having died in their bedroom and leaving me with the cost of cleaning up their body, but I'm not worried about Niflheim. They're getting what they want, the Prince and Princess will have a lovely wedding, and everything will be fine."

Laelia frowned. "You can fool other people, but I know when you're lying."

Elpis was spared from having to answer by their front door opening. Her housemate wandered in, their four-inch-high heel wedges making soft thumps against the wood floor. They stopped when they saw Laelia and Elpis staring at them.

"Uh," Alexus said, "hi?"

"Nice to see you're still among the living," Elpis said. She held out a hand, palm up. "Now give me your portion of the rent."

Alexus blinked, their green eyes showing their confusion, before they dug around in the pockets of their leather jacket. They found their gil and handed it to Elpis. "I didn't realize it was that time of month. Sorry."

Elpis waved away the smell of Alexus' bad breath as they leaned down. "Whatever, as long as I have it now."

She studied Alexus. Their clothes-black skinny jeans underneath a short black skirt and a red top-were badly wrinkled. Their heavy eyeliner was smeared, giving them dark circles around their eyes. Overall, it seemed like they'd had a rough night on the town. Not unusual when it came to Alexus.

When Elpis had first met them, she'd worried that Alexus would be a bad influence on Laelia or bring trouble home. The only reason she'd agreed to live with them was because they'd been willing to foot more than half the portion of the rent.

Eight years on, though, and there had never been any issues. If Alexus was up to unsavory things, Elpis had never seen any evidence of it. They also never brought friends over. Alexus took Laelia's safety as seriously as Elpis did, which she appreciated.

She didn't trust anyone except herself and Laelia, but Alexus came a close third.

Seeing Alexus eying her food, Elpis sighed and motioned for them to help themselves. They immediately grabbed a link of sausage and swallowed it without chewing much.

"I thought you were in your room this whole time. Where the hell have you been?"

Alexus shrugged and ran a hand through their dyed bright red short hair. "Out and about. People to see, and all that." They grabbed a roll from the basket in the middle of the table and bit into it. "You heard about the treaty?"

A piece of bread fell from their mouth and landed on Elpis' knee. She glowered at it, then delicately flicked it off her leg. "And that's my cue to leave," she said. "Tired of hearing about it. Anyway, time I get to the bar."

She picked up her bowl and set it in the sink with the other dishes to wash later. They were beginning to pile up. Just one more thing to take care of later.

"When I get home, I'm going to make sure you've done your homework, Laelia, so no slacking off."

"I know," Laelia said.

"Hey, I can help with that," Alexus said.

"Do _not_ accept their help," Elpis said. She pulled on her yellow jacket and ignored Alexus' hurt look. "There's soup in the fridge for dinner later. I bought some cookies yesterday, and you may have two tonight. None for you, Alexus."

"Aw, come on-"

"Get to bed at a reasonable time," Elpis said, kissing the top of Laelia's head.

She made a face. "You're not my mom," she said. "And I'm seventeen. I think I know how to look after myself now."

Elpis studied her face, wishing she could tell Laelia just how young seventeen really was. That would only earn her more teenage exasperation, however, and she had a job to get to.

"Right," she said, patting Laelia's shoulder. "See you later, kid."

"Have fun at work!" Alexus said.

For some reason, Elpis found herself lingering in the doorway, watching Alexus and Laelia in their home. It wasn't a big apartment. She and Laelia had to share a bedroom while Alexus had the smaller one to themself. They didn't even have a proper living room; instead they had made it a large dining room, with a table in the middle. None of them had been able to afford couches or chairs and hadn't much seen the point in either. They didn't have a TV, so there was nothing to gather couches around.

For all that it lacked, however, it was still home. They weren't allowed to paint the walls, so they'd hung cheap paintings up instead. Laelia had chosen most of them, ranging from forestscapes to the ocean to a painting of the night sky. Elpis had chosen one of the Lucian desert at midday.

Alexus had somehow managed to con their way into being allowed to put stickers on their bedroom door, which they had done with glee. Most of them were for bands Elpis had never heard of and wasn't certain she wanted to.

"You're doing that thing again," Laelia said from the dining room table.

Elpis blinked. "Sorry, what thing?"

"That thing where you stand and stare at something with this weird look on your face for a long time," Laelia said.

"And you look like a sad puppy," Alexus said. "Or maybe like you're about to throw up. Either one."

"Wow, okay," Elpis said, without rancor. "Excuse me for feeling sentimental."

Laelia scrunched up her nose with a small smile. "Gross. Go to work, weirdo."

Laughing, Elpis left.

After dropping off the rent at the owner's office, Elpis headed out. Every screen in the city seemed to be showing the live feed of the signing. She glanced at one as she passed, seeing the empty chairs and large wood table.

"Riveting," she muttered to herself.

Then again, it was better than Niflheim announcing itself with gunshots and fire.

On her way to the bar, she stopped to check in on the Albescus, making certain they were set while Erastus' was closed. She patiently endured a rant from Ennius about the Empire, then distracted him with some cake and made her escape.

The bar was dark and quiet when she made her way in. It would be completely different by the time they opened, with music blaring from the speakers and the constant hum of conversation from the patrons.

And, unfortunately, the televisions had to be on. Every channel seemed to be playing news about the treaty, so Elpis quickly gave up finding anything else and simply left it on a livefeed.

"Are they seriously having a countdown to the signing hour?" Elpis asked as the head waitress arrived for her shift.

The waitress, Justinia, watched the news for a second. "Guess so. I mean, it's a totally historic thing and all, right?"

"I think this channel is obviously only watched by rich people who don't have to work."

Justinia blinked. "Wow, you're in a sour mood. You won't get any tips with that scowl."

Which only made Elpis scowl harder. Justinia was right, though, and as she went through the motions of opening, Elpis worked to shake off her bad mood. She put on a brave face for Laelia but she was on edge with Niflheim in the city. By the time the bar was filling up, she had fixed a bright smile on her face and tried to ignore her misgivings.

Elpis slammed back her clear drink to the raucous cheers from the bar of men she was serving. She scrunched up her nose and shook her head. "Ooh," she said with a ditzy laugh, "that _burns_!"

"We like a tough chick though, don't we?" one man asked, elbowing another. He slipped her a good amount of gil.

Elpis winked and stuffed the gil into her apron pocket as she went to wash out the glass. _Pretending a glass of water is alcohol,_ she thought smugly. _Gets 'em every time._

At a lull in the activity, Elpis surveyed her domain. The waitresses were busy on their feet in the diner portion of the bar. Multiple conversations going on all at once mixed together until no individual words could be made out, just chatter. Everything was running along smoothly. Elpis would be on her feet until late into the night, as she was responsible for closing, but her body had long since grown used to the pain of standing for hours at a time. She saw more of the bar than she did her own bed at times.

 _But it's worth it,_ Elpis told herself. She would work as many jobs as she needed to make certain Laelia had a good life. She didn't care so much about her own.

"Holy shit!"

The TVs cut out suddenly, as did the lights. The music stopped playing from the speakers. At first, Elpis only thought everyone was overreacting to a power surge, though it was unusual for Insomnia to have such a thing.

Then the live feed returned and she saw people running from the palace in a panic as smoked filled the sky.

"There was a bomb or something," someone shouted, and everyone began cramming around the TV.

Except for Elpis. She could only stand frozen as the newscaster tried in vain to describe what was going on, the feed cutting in and out. Whatever she was saying was lost underneath the music and the closed captioning couldn't keep up with her.

Only one thought filled her mind: Laelia.

Elpis jumped over the bar and ran for the door.

Outside, everything was deathly silent. The news had yet to reach the general public. People milled about, laughing, and Elpis almost wondered if the scene inside the bar had been a strange, shared hallucination.

The calm was to her benefit, though. Elpis got on her bike and was soon roaring off into the streets.

She had to get home to Laelia. Home, which was clear across the city from the bar. On a good day, it took her forty-five minutes to make it from her apartment to the bar.

She didn't have that kind of time now. Her motorbike sped through the streets and Elpis drove in a way that would absolutely get her pulled over if there weren't something bigger happening at the citadel. She wove in between cars, sometimes leaving only inches between her bike and the other car. The shouts and honks of angry drivers were lost to the wind.

Elpis knew the exact moment the news had begun to spread. Cars came to a stop and didn't move again as drivers got out, phones to their ears, panicked expressions on their faces. More than once Elpis had to dodge people.

When the car door in front of her opened, Elpis had no time to swerve. She hit the door with a bone-jarring crash and her stomach dropped as she flew through the air. She landed with a rough thud and rolled along the pavement, trying to lessen the damage. Her helmet banged against the road hard, though she only heard a muffled thump inside.

And then she came to a stop. It took her mind a moment to catch up. As the worst of the pain passed, Elpis was distantly aware that her left elbow was screaming in pain. Carefully, she sat up, inspecting herself. Her jeans were torn in places and road burn was already forming on the exposed parts of her legs. She could still move her left arm, but not much. Her ribs felt bruised.

Yet it could have been so much worse. Elpis didn't waste time on thinking how lucky she was. With one look at her bike, she knew it was toast. Growling, Elpis ripped off her helmet and threw it aside.

When she heard the sound of shattering glass, Elpis didn't hesitate. She ran from the road to an arched doorway of a hotel. It wasn't until no glass landed on the ground that she looked up.

"Oh, gods."

The Wall was gone.

That was when the panic truly set in. People began screaming and running. In front of her, one woman was pushed to the ground, and Elpis only barely caught her hand and pulled her to safety before she was trampled to death.

"Thank you," the woman gasped, shaking.

"Get inside, go into an inner room, okay?" Elpis said. "And stay away from the windows."

The woman nodded, shakily making her way into the hotel Elpis had used as a cover.

Memories tried to overwhelm her-the sound of gunfire, the smell of burning human flesh, the taste of ashes on the air. The screams as people were killed by the Niflheim MTs. The agony in her shoulder when a bullet had torn through it.

Elpis took a deep breath, centering herself. She couldn't lose herself to memories now. She had to get home.

Especially before the sun set and the terrors emerged.

Without her bike, she would have to make it back home on foot. With new determination, Elpis laid out her mental map of the city, found the alley closest to her, and made for it. The streets would be too busy with panicking crowds. She had to steer clear of as much of it as possible.

And just hours ago, she had been telling Laelia everything would be fine. That this would be peaceful. Elpis had forgotten the sole truth of the Empire: Anything worth having was taken with steel and strength.

As she crossed the river, a shadow fell over her. Elpis stumbled as she saw Imperial airships in the sky above Insomnia. Lungs burning, she leaned against an alley wall, watching the ships fly to the palace.

Her apartment was near enough to the city center that she knew it was only a matter of time before the fighting spread and reached it. She had to hope that, if she didn't make it in time, Laelia could get away to somewhere safe.

If there was anywhere safe after this.

* * *

"Well," Ardyn said as he surveyed the damage done to the palace with a hint of pleasure. "I daresay everything has gone according to plan." He turned to the Emperor. "No?"

The Emperor stared down at the Crystal, locked in its metal case. His expression held only grim determination. He truly did not know how to have fun - he'd fought for thirty years to get to this point, and all he could do now he'd succeeded was focus on the Crystal.

Eos was drenched in so much blood, all for the Crystal, all by the Crystal's design. It was not a trinket worth having. Yet it had been so simple to just plant the seed of an idea in the Emperor's weak mind that he wanted it. That he was meant to have it. That he was the True King, and in order to be the True King, he must rule over all of Eos. Truly, the Emperor could not see the forest for the trees.

"Shall we take our leave?" Ardyn continued. "The sun will soon set. We need not be here to witness the terrors of the night."

Without a word, the Emperor turned away from him and left. Ardyn moved to follow, then paused, looking back over his shoulder at the city.

Somewhere inside of it was the woman who looked like Elpis. Had she already escaped? Was she beyond the reach of the Empire's weapons? Try as he might, she had been on Ardyn's mind ever since he saw her. Yet he had kept himself from seeking her out.

He told himself it was because she was not Elpis, that it had been a figment of his imagination. In truth, he was terrified that she might truly be Elpis. What would he do then? The prophecy was already set into motion. There was no place in it for Elpis.

Ardyn turned away from the destruction, an unfamiliar heaviness in his chest. He did not realize until much later that the heaviness was guilt.

* * *

Her apartment building was destroyed. Rubble lay across the street, bits and pieces of other buildings. The air carried a familiar scent to it, a familiar tang, that Elpis distantly recognized as blood. In the distance, she could hear the fighting. It had moved on from her part of the city. Not before destroying most of it, though.

If Laelia had still been inside, if she hadn't made it out in time...

"No," Elpis whispered. She forced herself to make her way to the rubble. There was still a chance, even if the building had collapsed. Laelia could be under the rubble, alive but hurt, waiting for rescue.

"Laelia!" Elpis shouted, moving rocks and debris out of her way. Pain bloomed in her hands as the rubble cut into her skin, leaving traces of her blood everywhere. She ignored it and continued to climb the pile. When she came across a lifeless human hand underneath some rocks, it took her a terrifying moment to realize the skin was white, so it couldn't be Laelia.

Elpis moved on. Later, she would feel the horror of the situation. Right now, she had to focus.

"Lae-"

Her foot fell out from beneath her, into a hole in the rubble. Elpis shrieked as a nail cut into her leg, from her knee up to her hip. All she could do was wait for the worst of the pain to fade and then slowly move her leg until the her skin was loose from the nail. Gingerly, she wrested herself free of the hole, then sat down. Blood ran down her leg, staining her jeans.

 _I can't help Laelia if I get myself killed,_ Elpis thought. She picked up a long beam of wood and used it to haul herself up, leaning on it. The cut was deep enough to hurt like hell, but she could still move her leg and put weight on it.

If Laelia was in the rubble, she was likely dead. Elpis' heart cracked at the thought, then came perilously close to shattering. She told herself not to break down yet. There was still a chance...

She felt a pressure on her shoe and found an orange tabby cat with vibrant green eyes staring up at her intently. Despite the ruin around them, the cat's fur was perfectly clean.

"Hey," she said softly. "Lucky you, to not have gotten hurt by this."

The cat pawed at Elpis' jean, meowing insistently. Then it turned and began making its way down the rubble.

Elpis stood and watched, wondering if she was really about to follow a stray cat, albeit a stray cat who seemed to be telling her something. And then she made her way down the rubble and followed the cat. Every now and then the cat would look back, making certain Elpis was still following. It led her through the labyrinth of the city.

 _Gods,_ Elpis thought, _please let me not be losing my mind. Please let this cat lead me to Laelia._ She wasn't a praying sort, but Elpis prayed that night.

She came to a sudden stop. Night. It was nighttime.

As if to celebrate this fact, the cry of daemons echoed over the city.

From behind her came a creeping, rustling sound, like dead leaves on pavement. From somewhere in front of her, the cat hissed and growled deep in its throat. Elpis turned, then backed away as daemons formed from shadows on the ground. Claws longer than her arm scratched along the cement, leaving deep gashes. One of them hissed, and the smell of dead, rotting meat was carried on its breath.

Shaking, Elpis slowly took off the eyepatch she wore and threw it aside. She would need both her eyes tonight. Steadying herself, she held out the beam of wood in front of her like a stave.

And then she let loose her light.

* * *

"New orders from the Emperor," Ardyn said cheerfully to the pilot of the aircraft, ignoring the fire and destruction just outside the ship's windows.

The Diamond Weapons were letting loose with their attacks. His dear baby brother was one of the few Old Kings still fighting. Ardyn hoped the statue could feel pain.

"Set sail once more for Niflheim, captain. And if you would be so kind as to drop me at Lestallum-"

"What the hell?"

Ardyn stopped, frowning at being interrupted. The pilot was craning her neck to look out the window, then quickly inputting commands into the computer.

"There can't be anything of note down there," he said drily, slowly making his way over. "Only more fire and ruined buildings, I'm sure."

"Sir," the co-pilot said, squinting out the window. "There's a woman fighting daemons down there."

Ardyn waited for more, then, with a note of irritation in his voice, said, "Yes, doubtless all of Insomnia is fighting for their lives right now-"

A bright flash lit up the aircraft's screen and the daemons in his mind recoiled in horror. Sharp agony struck between his eyes as they cried, and he had to look away, grasping the back of the pilot's chair to keep himself upright.

That light. He knew that light.

"How did she do that?"

The woman. Ardyn turned back to the screen and saw a dab of yellow against a grey road. "The image," he ground out, "make it bigger."

"Sir-?"

"Do it."

The pilot blanched, then zoomed in. The woman stood against four daemons with a wooden beam in her hands. Something dark stained one of her legs. She glanced briefly at the ship, her eyes narrowed-her mismatched eyes. Her left was brown, but her right...

Her right eye was bright yellow.

The woman who had Elpis' face looked back down to the daemons who were advancing on her. She held up a shaky hand and said something, though the airship could pick up no audio.

"She's going to get herself killed," the co-pilot said dismissively. "She must have had a flare or something earlier."

Ardyn watched in silence. Through the Starscourge, he could feel the daemons on the ground, know their empty, beastly minds. And through them, he felt as, one by one, the daemons recognized her. They _knew_ her. Slowly, they backed away, their heads bowed in submission.

The woman waited a second, another, and then with one last look at the ship, she bolted for an alleyway.

Ardyn stepped away from the screen slowly, his gaze still on it.

No one noticed when he slipped into the shadows and disappeared.


	3. Two Souls

The Niffs had seen her.

Elpis cursed her luck once again. The Niffs had seen her ordering the daemons away-and she had stood there like an idiot and let them record her. They had her face now. Which meant they could find her.

From somewhere deeper in the city came a loud explosion. The ground shook underneath her feet. Elpis stumbled, fell, and landed hard on her knees. The sound of metal crashing into metal, of stone grating against stone, made the very air tremble. She covered her ears, gasping.

 _What the hell is going on in this city?_

She got herself back to her feet as more pools of Starscourge formed around her. Elpis didn't wait for the daemons to arrive; she ran out of the alleyway she'd been hiding in, looking once more for the cat she'd been following. It had left her when the daemons showed up.

 _That's what I get for following a damn stray cat in the first place,_ Elpis thought. If she survived the night, in the morning she would kick herself for being so stupid.

As she came upon the riverbank, the sight of the inner city ablaze made her stop - and then Elpis let out a gasp as a statue moved and drove a sword into a daemon's heart.

 _The Old Wall,_ she thought distantly. There had been a story about it, and now she wished she had actually paid attention to it. The statue had familiar draconian horns, and her chest twinged painfully, and Elpis felt certain she was losing her mind.

She was far enough away that the fighting couldn't touch her and yet she still trembled with fear. The Wall had fallen, daemons were overrunning the city, and statues of dead Kings were rising and defending the city-and destroying it.

Insomnia was meant to be a safe place for her and Laelia. It was the only place left to them. And now even that was being taken away.

Elpis was so tired of losing the things that mattered to her.

Another dark pool formed a few feet away from her, causing her to look away from the battle raging in the city. Elpis groaned and began running again.

"Seriously? Are you damn things following me or something?!"

A flash of red darted in front of her and nearly made her trip. Elpis caught herself as the cat yowled at her from a street corner, its tail thrashing with annoyance. It took off and dodged pools of Starscourge as Elpis followed it once more.

They ran through the streets of Insomnia, the sounds of war accompanying them until the cat led her to the sector furthest away from the citadel. The neighborhoods were poorer there, and the streets eerily empty of any life save for them. Every now and then an echo of the fighting would reach them. Otherwise it was deathly quiet.

Perhaps anyone who lived there had already made it through the gates and out of the city. Elpis had to hope so.

The cat paused in front of a sturdy stone building, looking back to make certain Elpis was still there, and then headed inside. Her legs and lungs burning, Elpis pushed herself the last few feet, leaning heavily on the doorframe.

Inside was utter darkness. As her eyes slowly began to adjust, she could make out empty shelves and freezer cases. The cat had led her to an abandoned storefront. She couldn't see Laelia anywhere.

 _Never mind waiting for morning,_ Elpis thought. _I'm going to kick my own ass right now._

Before she could start in on doing so, a door opened from behind the counter. Hazel eyes peered at her from the crack in the door. That was all Elpis needed to see before she ran forward and threw her arms around her sister.

"Laelia! Oh my gods, are you all right? Are you hurt?"

"No, no," Laelia said, struggling to breathe as Elpis squeezed her. "Ellie, come on-"

A hand tapped her shoulder and Elpis turned to find Alexus standing behind her. Except they looked... different. Their pupils had changed to upright slits, and when they smiled, they bared sharp fangs. The only thing that remained the same was the red hair and their long, painted nails. The nails looked more like claws now.

"Don't strangle her, Elpis," Alexus said. "I didn't drag you all the way across the city for you to kill little Lili now."

Elpis stared, putting the pieces together. "You were the cat?" Before Alexus could answer, she put a hand to her forehead. "You know what? Sure. Whatever. You can turn into a cat. Why not, at this point?"

She turned back to Laelia, frowning when she saw that her cane was gone. She looked to Alexus. "You've been carrying her?"

"Yep," Alexus said. "I know I look like a gentle breeze could knock me over, but I'm strong when I need to be."

"Alexus got us out of the apartment as soon as the power went out," Laelia explained. "We didn't really know what was going on until we saw the Niflheim ships." Her lower lip trembled and tears formed in her eyes. She crossed her arms over her chest protectively. "I told you this would happen, and you didn't listen."

"I know," Elpis said, "I know, I'm sorry. I wish I could explain just how sorry I am. But we need to focus on getting out now."

Alexus scratched the back of their head. "The Niffs hold every gate out of the city," they said. "We'll have to take a secret passage out."

"Great," Elpis said. "Do you know of any secret passages?"

"Nope."

Elpis was about to punch Alexus in their ridiculously shiny teeth when she heard a rustling sound from outside the store. Cold dread crept up her spine. She tightened her grip on her wooden beam. Alexus' cheerful demeanor had vanished, replaced with a sharp alertness directed toward the front door.

"Laelia," Elpis said quietly, turning to the door. "Stay here. Don't come out. I'll come back in and get you."

"O-okay." She sounded so young and scared that all Elpis wanted to do was hold her until the nightmares went away.

Unfortunately, the nightmares waiting for them outside weren't the sort to go quietly.

Carefully, Elpis came out from behind the counter. The windows were boarded up, so she couldn't see how many daemons had gathered, or what kinds. She was going out blind. Elpis motioned for Alexus to stay with Laelia.

A swish of black outside the door made her pause. It hadn't moved like a daemon. It had moved like fabric. Elpis cautiously stepped out of the entrance onto the street.

A man in a long black coat and hat stood outside. His amber eyes landed on her immediately and stayed there. His entire body went still, tension tight in his shoulders, his expression unreadable.

Elpis felt something inside of her crack as she met his gaze, just a little, just enough to make her wince, and for a moment all she could think was, _I know you. I know you._

 _How do I know you?_

"Who are you?" Elpis asked cautiously.

The man's expression darkened, and he turned his face from her. "I should have known."

Elpis could only stare at him. There was a bitter note in his voice she couldn't understand. His ridiculous magenta hair nagged at her memory, but something wasn't right with how he looked. He shouldn't have looked the way he did. Elpis couldn't make any sense of her thoughts.

Then something clicked into place. "You were in that car," she said, "the guy who stared at me like a creep."

The man blinked, staring at her, then threw his head back and laughed without humor. His smile was a broken thing, full of pain and things unsaid. "Ardyn Izunia," he said, taking off his hat and bowing grandly to her. "At your service."

"Izunia," Elpis repeated, new fear flooding her limbs. "The Niflheim Chancellor."

"The very same."

The ship that had caught her with the daemons - had he been on it? Had he seen her? Elpis took a step back towards the entrance of the shop, then stopped. There was no use hiding. He could simply follow her inside. There had to be a way to end this peacefully.

Laelia would never forgive her for what she was about to do. But at least she'd be alive to hate her.

Slowly, Elpis dropped her wooden beam to the ground. Ardyn gave it a brief glance, then looked back up at her, his gaze faintly curious.

"I don't like to beat around the bush," Elpis said, "so let me guess: You saw me with the daemons."

His smile changed briefly into something Elpis couldn't read. Then it was gone. "I did, indeed. What fascinating powers you must have, to strike fear in them so."

It had not been fear that she caused in them. They had known her.

The daemons had always known her.

"Since you dislike lingering on the particulars, let me get to the point, shall I?" Ardyn said. "Come with me, and I'll take you from this dreadful city. You can tell me what I'm certain must be a fascinating story."

He approached her slowly, casually. Elpis was not fooled by it. The man was a predator hiding his deadliness beneath a facade of nonchalance and a hideous outfit.

"And then you'll hand me over to Verstael Besithia," Elpis said flatly.

Ardyn paused, hands still in the air from gesturing.

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Even I've heard the rumors about what the Empire gets up to in those labs. You're going to take me to Niflheim and they're going to experiment on me, to figure out why I have these-these powers."

Her voice cracked at the very end despite her attempts to keep it steady. She couldn't show fear in front of a man of Niflheim. No matter how terrified she actually was, she would not give him the satisfaction of seeing it.

He lowered his hands. "Well," Ardyn said, "let's not get ahead of ourselves. Why not start at the beginning and see where the road takes us, hm?"

Elpis rolled her eyes. "I'm pretty sure that whatever road we take, the destination doesn't end well for me." She held up a hand before Ardyn could reply. "Fine. Yes. I have one condition."

He rose an eyebrow and waited.

"My sister comes with us and you'll take her to Lestallum, where she'll be safe."

"Your... sister."

"Yes," Elpis said. "If you keep your end of the bargain-if you get her out of this city and see her safely to Lestallum-then I'll consent to whatever you wish to do with me."

Ardyn seemed to have no response at first. Then he approached until he stood before her. He was taller than she, enough that she had to lift her head slightly to meet his gaze. And yet Elpis did not fear him. He did not loom over her like some other men of his height might have. She felt ridiculously, incredulously calm.

"What is your name?" he asked, his voice quiet.

She didn't see why it mattered, but she answered all the same: "Elpis Maialen."

Ardyn's eyes widened minutely. "An unusual name."

"Funny," Elpis said, "I thought the same about 'Izunia.'"

When he laughed that time, it was a true laugh. Gone was the sardonic tone from before; now he was truly amused.

 _Why do I know the sound of that laugh?_

Ardyn fixed his amber eyes on her and grinned. "We have an accord, Elpis Maialen."

* * *

"I can't believe you did this," Laelia said for the hundredth time since they'd gotten on the airship.

Elpis never removed her gaze from the MTs that surrounded them in the loading bay. Ardyn had sauntered off, leaving them there, while he "attended to other matters." Elpis hoped those other matters included a bed and a shower for her.

"Look, Laelia," Elpis said, "I didn't have a choice, okay? This will keep you safe."

Laelia laughed drily. Alexus, in cat form, began purring and rubbing their head on Laelia's chin, trying to cheer her up. "Yeah, because the Niffs have a really good history of keeping their word."

As if to prove her point, smoke from the fires burning in Insomnia blocked out the sun through the airship windows momentarily.

For a moment, Elpis hated Laelia. She hated that she couldn't have one minute to herself to mourn all that she'd just lost-her home, Erastus, Minerva and Ennius, Justinia, her own body and future-and instead had to focus on Laelia's mood.

Elpis closed her eyes and took a deep breath. That was the choice she had made when she became Laelia's legal guardian. She was, for all intents and purposes, Laelia's mother. Mothers did not get time to themselves or their own feelings.

She came to kneel in front of Laelia, trying to meet her gaze. "Listen," she said, "you're safe and out of Insomnia, and that's all that matters to me right now. The Chancellor will keep his word."

"If you do this, who's going to take care of you?"

Elpis smiled evenly. "Myself." As always.

"You can't even get out of bed on time, with your alarm set."

"Ah," a voice said, "how siblings always know the exact words that will cut the deepest."

Elpis stood and faced Ardyn. He had taken his hat off, which Elpis suspected was about as casual and relaxed he ever got. How he wasn't burning up in his multiple layers, she'd never know.

He smiled, first at her, then at Laelia. He bowed his head. "Your sister speaks truly," he said to Laelia. "I mean you no harm. If it brings you any comfort, you're not significant enough to warrant notice from the Empire."

The air became tense, with Laelia sucking in a hurt breath and Elpis seeing red. She marched forward and stuck a finger in Ardyn's face.

"Listen here, jackass," Elpis said, "I agreed to come with you, but if you speak to my sister like that again, I'm going to shove my foot up so far up your ass that you'll taste my sneaker. Understood?"

Ardyn smirked. "Such language, Lady Maialen. Yet I hear your message, loud and clear. I was only speaking the truth, but next time I'll take care to sugarcoat it so as to not hurt the girl's feelings."

"Ellie," Laelia said, her voice level. "It's okay. Anybody who dresses like that can't insult me."

Instead of getting angry, Ardyn laughed. Elpis watched him warily, wondering if it was a ruse, but he seemed genuinely amused.

"Allow me to escort you to your room. Alas, you'll have to share, as we've limited space on this aircraft," Ardyn said. "Lady Laelia can get settled whilst you and I, Lady Elpis, have a chat after you've been to the medic bay."

Elpis tried not to show how much that news pleased her. The adrenaline had long since worn off and she could feel every single cut and bruise on her body. At least the cut on her leg didn't hurt as much as she'd thought it would.

Laelia grabbed hold of Elpis' back and was hoisted up. Alexus followed behind them. From the corner of her eye, Elpis saw Ardyn give the cat a long look, his brow lightly creased in faint bemusement.

"By the way, enough with the 'Lady' stuff," Elpis said as she came to walk beside Ardyn. She wouldn't follow behind like a dog; she didn't want to give him the pleasure. "I'm no one important."

Ardyn cut her a sidelong glance. "I would argue that you are," he said, a note of sincerity in his voice.

"If you're trying to charm me or something, stop," Elpis said. "Nothing will ever get rid of the fact that I'm your prisoner. You're not my friend. You're not even really an ally. You're just the guy who has the keys to my life."

As she spoke, Ardyn slowed. When she glanced at him, she saw that he was staring at her with something of a forlorn expression, and it took her so much by surprise that she almost stopped walking.

 _I know you,_ Elpis thought once again. _And yet I do not know you._

In a blink, Ardyn's smirk was back in place, his expression once more amused and taunting. He rejoined Elpis' side, this time in silence. He didn't speak again until they came upon a door.

"And here we are," he said, swiping a card across the screen next to the door. It opened to reveal a small room with one bed, a trunk for clothing or other possessions, and an attached bathroom. "Again, my apologies for the size."

 _I bet it's a suite compared to the room I'll get in Besithia's labs,_ Elpis thought. Carefully, she went to the bed and lowered Laelia on to it.

"You okay, kid?"

"Yeah," Laelia said as Alexus jumped onto the bed with her. She stared hard at Ardyn over Elpis' shoulder, then looked to Elpis. "You'll come back, won't you?"

"Of course," Elpis said, even though she had no way of knowing that. For all she knew, Ardyn could lock her in a cell until they reached Gralea. She smiled all the same. "I'll be back in no time. Just wait and see."

Laelia's expression said she didn't believe Elpis at all.

Reluctantly, Elpis rejoined Ardyn back outside in the hall, where he'd been waiting. She winced as the door closed behind her. "Right," she said, letting out a slow breath as she met Ardyn's gaze levelly. "Lead the way."

Ardyn led her to the medic bay and left her there with instructions to join him in his room once she was finished. He had lingered in the corridor, watching her while he stepped away. As if he were hesitant to let Elpis out of his sight.

Of course he is, Elpis told herself. I'm a pretty prize he's won and gets to poke at. She told herself she'd been imagining the softness in his expression.

Elpis made her way inside the medic bay. The smell of grease and the sounds of the airship's engines were at complete odds with her surroundings. It was bright, white, and despite the smell, clean.

In front of a cabinet of medicine stood a woman in white working on a tablet. The woman looked up in surprise as Elpis approached.

"Hello," the woman said, obviously confused. Then her eyes fell to Elpis' leg and her expression changed. "Stars, that's a horrid cut! Here, come behind here," she said, pulling Elpis behind a curtain and tying it to the wall so it wouldn't fall open. "Get those dirty clothes off and let me look you over. I'm Doctor Auer, but please, call me Stella."

Elpis, somewhat disoriented by the woman's friendly nature, did as she was ordered. She hissed in pain as her jeans came unglued from her skin and had to stop halfway down her thighs.

"Let me," Stella said, all business. She grabbed hold of Elpis' jeans and yanked them down in one fluid movement.

Elpis yelped. "Holy fu-"

"It's always better to rip it off quickly and in one go," Stella said, still utterly professional. "I-oh… that's strange…"

Elpis followed Stella's gaze and tried not to gasp when she saw that the cut on her leg was gone. The only sign it had ever been there was the blood that had dried on her skin and jean leg. Otherwise her skin was smooth and brown, without even a scar. Now that she thought about it, her elbow no longer hurt from the accident earlier either.

"I guess you were lucky," Stella said doubtfully. Then she moved on without saying anything else.

Working for the Empire, she probably saw far stranger things every day. Still, Elpis let out a slow, relieved breath. She'd have to figure out later how her cut had healed itself.

"I, ah, suppose you don't have any other clothes with you...?"

Elpis shook her head. "No."

"Well, there are extra uniforms for some of the lower army members in here. I always keep a few on hand." Stella balled up Elpis' jeans and threw them in a tub marked BIO-HAZARD. "Looks like you'll be able to keep your jacket and shirt, though. The jacket is super cool, by the way. I like the one wing design on the back."

"Uh, thanks," Elpis said. She took off her jacket and, out of habit, folded it. Next came her shirt, though she elected to keep her bra on.

"Wow," Stella said, her eyes on Elpis' chest. She motioned to the scar that ran vertically right between Elpis' breasts. "What happened there?"

Elpis fought the urge to cover her chest with her arms. "An accident, when I was a kid," she said.

Stella studied her. "Well, it looks like whatever it was went right through you."

"Yeah," Elpis said, "the Astrals showed me their favor."

Stella only made a small sound before wiping down the inner part of Elpis' elbow with an antibacterial liquid. She pulled out a bag of hydration fluid and hooked Elpis up to it. "You're drier than the Niflheim desert."

"Happens, when you're running for your life from an invading army."

Stella stopped, her gaze on her tray, before resuming her work. "You probably don't feel very warmly towards me right now."

"Honestly? I'm running on fumes. I can't bring myself to feel much of anything." Elpis shrugged. "You made your choice to work for the Empire, so more power to you."

Stella didn't immediately respond, instead focusing on cleaning the blood off Elpis' leg.

"Actually," Stella said at length, "Niflheim has mandatory conscription for people like me. Doctors, I mean, and other areas that can't be done by MTs. I'm only on my sixth month of being part of the army. After my year is up, I can decide to stay or go elsewhere."

Feeling strangely guilty, Elpis said, "Hell of a time to serve."

"Yeah, I suppose so. I'm sorry. I know it doesn't mean much, coming from an Imperial doctor, but I really am. I wish there wasn't a war at all."

Elpis could tell she was sincere, so she accepted Stella's apology with as much grace as she could muster. She knew nothing of Stella's life before now. Who was she to throw stones at someone who may have had no choice but to join an army she didn't agree with?

"Oh," Stella said as she was digging around for clothes. "I almost forgot. When was your last period?"

"About... five months ago? I have a cervical insert. So does my sister."

Stella nodded. "Okay, good. If during your… stay… you need a new one, let me know."

"Thanks," Elpis said, taking the white pants Stella handed her.

She grimaced. "Sorry," she said. "They're all about the white in Niflheim."

"I've worn worse."

Elpis got dressed once more, weariness making her movements slow. After thanking Stella, she left to follow the map Ardyn had given her. Distantly she wondered why he hadn't set any MTs to guard her. In fact, the corridors were strangely empty of anyone, MT or human. Was it a test? Was he waiting to see if she would make a run for it?

If so, he was going to be disappointed. Elpis kept her word, even if the Niffs didn't.

So long as Laelia was safe, that was all that mattered.

* * *

Ardyn paced in his room like a caged animal, his thoughts a whirlpool. Every part of his body was held taut as he waited for Elpis to come to him, as if there was a string that pulled at him, connected him to her.

He'd thought that string had been cut long ago. Apparently, it had not.

 _What is your game?_ he silently asked the Astrals. He didn't expect them to answer - they'd stopped answering him two millennia ago. It was more to walk himself through the possibilities, to try to drown out the voices in his head. When Elpis had been next to him, they'd been silent. Now that was she gone, they howled with fury.

Ardyn, long since used to their noise, merely continued with his train of thought.

 _Is this simply meant to torment me?_

With a growl, he clenched his fist and slammed it into the metal wall of his room. The metal dented beneath his hand.

 _You stole her from me once. Was that not enough for you?_

Through the cry of the daemons, Ardyn could hear Elpis' dying gasps once more, how her blood had gurgled in her throat as she'd choked on it. He could hear Somnus' shuddering breaths, as if he had any right to cry over what he'd done. He heard his own screams of fury as he'd tried to cut himself free of his chains and was held fast.

Of all the memories to remain, why must it be that?

A knock at the door brought him out of his misery. Ardyn paused, uncertain in a way he hadn't been in ages. He ran a hand through his hair and tried to regain some sense of equilibrium.

If this woman was his El, what did it mean for him now?

Ardyn turned and went to the door, pressing the button to open it.

Outside, Elpis stood. Inside his mind, the daemons quieted.

She looked at him warily. She still wore her black shirt and yellow jacket but her jeans were replaced by white army pants. She looked marginally better - but to Ardyn, she had always looked radiant. Even covered in dirt and blood and grime, she looked beautiful. That had not changed.

In fact, Elpis herself didn't appear to have changed. Most of his memories were gone, what was left were hazy, so he couldn't be certain. But the longer he studied her, the more he realized that, unlike Noctis and Lunafreya, she looked exactly as Elpis had in the past.

Ardyn couldn't begin to imagine what that might mean.

"Well," he said, smiling slightly. "You look refreshed. Do come in." He stepped out of the way and bowed, sweeping his arm out to indicate the room.

Elpis watched him as she stepped inside. Her entire body was tight with fear - ready for a surprise attack.

The thought that she feared him hurt more than he expected. He walked past her, deliberately putting a good amount of distance between them, and gestured to a table where a plate of food sat.

"Please, I'm sure you must be hungry. Make yourself comfortable."

Elpis stared at him. Then she said, "Are you out of your bloody mind, or do you really not know how you come across?"

Ardyn stopped, tilting his head at her, waiting for her to explain.

"The food," she said in exasperation. "I have no idea whether it's been drugged or not. I still don't know what exactly you intend to do with me. You really think I'm going to eat anything you give me?"

Admittedly, he had not thought that through. It was as if he kept falling into the way he and Elpis had been, trusting and loving and intimate, when neither one of them could be that way again. Of course this Elpis would distrust him.

Ardyn scratched the back of his head, momentarily thrown off balance, before reaching out and cutting himself a piece of the meat. He ate it, then forced it down. "If it's drugged, then I've just given you a chance to make your escape when it takes effect on me."

He didn't need to tell her that poisons and other drugs had no effect on him at all. Or that he'd have to make himself throw the food up later, as his body no longer worked in the way a human body should.

Ardyn could see the struggle going on in her mind as she looked to the food, then to him, then back to the food. Finally, she reached for a roll and slowly broke it apart, eating it carefully. Her eyes stayed on him as she chewed.

Smiling, Ardyn took a seat at the table, then motioned for her to sit as well. She remained standing. He could not fault her wariness, but gods, how it stung.

Once she finished the roll, Elpis took a careful drink of water, then said, "You said you wanted to know my story. What do you want to know?"

"Everything," Ardyn said immediately. "From the very beginning."

She rose an eyebrow, clearly holding back a sarcastic reply. Finally, she sat down across from him.

"I'm an orphan, so far as anyone can tell," she said at length. "I was found wandering around the forest near the Vesperpool. I have no memory of my parents or what happened; people assumed they were either killed by daemons or by Niflheim. Or that they had the Starscourge themselves. I was about five when it happened. I only knew my name.

"I was taken in by a woman named Drusilla, who ran a restaurant in the Haven town Lux. She never formally adopted me, so I wasn't really her daughter. Still, she took care of me. Put me to work in the restaurant as soon as I turned fourteen."

 _Drusilla,_ Ardyn thought. _Drusa. That was your mother's name, wasn't it, El?_

"I stayed there until I was nineteen. And then..." Elpis paused again, taking another sip of her water, stalling for time. Not because she wanted to lie to him, but because she didn't know how to continue.

"Laelia contracted the Starscourge. There was a rumor going around that Niflheim was looking for daemons. Her parents wanted to sell her to the Empire before she turned. I'd overheard them talking about it in my mother's restaurant. I went to see her one night. This was ten years ago; she was seven, I was nineteen. She was so young to have gotten it. And she looked like she was in so much pain. I couldn't imagine how her parents could just sell her off. Without thinking about it, I put my hands on her, and..."

Elpis trailed off, her gaze distant.

"You healed her," Ardyn said quietly.

She swallowed hard and could only manage a brief nod. "I did. I don't know how. No one would believe it, though. I mean, only the Oracle can heal the Starscourge, right? So they thought we were both infected. My mother kicked me out. Everyone else ran me out of town. Laelia followed me; her own parents had turned her out as well."

Her voice was flat, as if she were merely repeating facts that had nothing to do with her. Ardyn knew the tone well. Sometimes it was the only way to distance one's self from the pain.

"After that, it's just been us. I promised to take care of her, and when we went to Insomnia, no one really cared enough to look too hard at a couple of refugee's papers."

Elpis shrugged in an attempt at nonchalance. "And that's been my life for the last ten years. I work-or, _worked_ -two jobs. I helped her with her homework. And we made a living for ourselves." She gave him a level stare. "A living that's gone now, thanks to you and your treaty."

Something, maybe a shade of guilt and horror, tried to rise up in his chest. It died before it could fully take hold. Ardyn pushed it aside as if it were nothing more significant than dust.

He was merely doing the Crystal's work. Elpis no longer understood that, but he did. The Crystal wanted blood and Ardyn had delivered.

"Go on," was all he said in reply.

Elpis glared before turning her attention back to her food. "I don't know what else you want me to say. That's all. I have powers I don't understand, and for most of my life, I've tried to ignore them. All I wanted was a quiet life."

"What happened when you healed Lady Laelia?" Ardyn asked. "Explain what happened inside your mind."

Elpis seemed thrown off by his question. She opened her mouth, closed it, and considered her words, her gaze becoming distant. Finally she began gesturing with her hands, a habit she hadn't had in her previous life, but one Ardyn found rather cute now.

"I just… put my hands on her, and closed my eyes, and I told the daemons they couldn't have her," Elpis said. "And they listened. Almost like they were scared of me. They didn't want to leave her, so I-I offered up my own body to them."

She brought a hand to her yellow eye and rubbed at it absently. "That's when I got this. I guess they weren't strong enough to completely change me. I've kept it covered all these years so no one will ask questions. Not unusual, to see a refugee missing body parts or stuck with scars."

None of it made any sense. Elpis had been stripped of her divine powers when the Crystal rejected him. How did she come to have them in this life?

And in the back of his mind was a more troubling question: How had he never noticed that Elpis had returned? How did his soul not immediately know when she began to walk Eos once more?

Was he so far fallen that even Elpis could no longer reach him?

Elpis' love of him had survived death. She had watched over him for millennia, sharing in his exile. Had it not survived rebirth as well?

Had their string been cut?

Elpis brought a hand to her chest, rubbing the middle of it. She seemed to be contemplating something. Then she said, "There's one other thing... I have this scar on my chest and back. I've had it ever since I was a child. I tell people I got it in an accident, but honestly? I don't know how I got it."

How clearly he can hear the sound of Somnus' sword cutting clean through Elpis' chest. He can hear the sickening squelch it made when Somnus pulled it free, how Elpis had whimpered in agony.

Ardyn knew exactly where that scar came from.

And like that, any doubt he'd still held that this was not Elpis faded.


	4. The Healer and the Sun

"We will be in Lestallum in mere hours," Ardyn said as he led Elpis back to her room. After her story was done, he'd let her finish her meal, his mind working.

Elpis. His beloved Elpis was alive once more.

And she had no memory of him whatsoever.

"Great," Elpis said flatly, gaze on the ground. At least she no longer held herself stiff as if waiting for an attack. Ardyn decided to take it as progress.

In fact, she rather looked ready to collapse on the spot. Briefly, Ardyn felt terrible for keeping her awake as long as he had. But he'd had to know. He'd had to know if she was truly Elpis.

Now that he knew, he had no idea what to do.

They approached her door. "I take my leave of you here," Ardyn said, bowing his head respectfully. That had been something her tribe had done, hadn't it? They had bowed, sometimes so low as to touch their foreheads to the ground. He would have done the same, if he didn't suspect she might look at him as if he were crazy and then use the opportunity to kick him in the face.

"I hope you rest well, my lady," Ardyn said, sincere.

Elpis stared at him, her gaze contemplative. She looked to be on the verge of saying something. Ardyn found he was holding his breath in anticipation.

Then her expression shifted and, instead of whatever she was going to say before, she said, "Why haven't you put guards outside the door?"

Ardyn tilted his head. "Are you planning on escaping?"

"No," she said honestly, shrugging a shoulder. "I'm a woman of my word. But it's strange."

"If it'll make you feel more secure," he said, his tone slightly wry, "I'll station guards outside your door, and have them escort you everywhere."

She gave him a flat look. "Well, you're within your power to do that, Chancellor."

How could he forget? Whereas once they had been equals, he now held all the power over her. It was just one of the many reasons he knew he had to keep space between them.

How he yearned to touch her, though. Even if he could no longer feel the warmth of her skin, Ardyn still wanted to touch it, to confirm that she was truly there, flesh and blood and beautifully alive.

Instead he stepped back and bowed once more. "Sweet dreams, my lady."

Elpis turned and swiped the card against the panel.

 _Look at me,_ Ardyn thought as he watched her. _Just once. Look at me just once more, El._

As if she'd heard his thoughts, Elpis lingered in the doorway, then gave him one last look over her shoulder. She seemed hesitant to leave him and confused by that hesitation. Ardyn met her gaze with a small smile. Elpis blinked slowly, as if she were trying to figure something out.

Then she shook her head slightly and left him.

Ardyn stood in the hall long after the door had closed, simply staring at it. Then he turned to face the person behind him.

"Does she know you're a Messenger?"

The red haired person grinned, showing sharp fangs. "You interrupted my dramatic reveal earlier, so no," they said. "She's probably figured it out by now."

Ardyn clenched his fists and closed the small gap between them. He loomed over the Messenger, though they were almost the same height.

"I should kill you where you stand."

They raised an eyebrow. "Eh," they said, "I've died before. Didn't stick. Much like it didn't with you and Elpis."

"What are the Astrals planning with her? Has she not suffered enough at their hands?"

They raised their hands plaintively. "Easy, Chosen One," they said. "My god is dead. I'm a Messenger in title only, with none of the duties. I haven't spoken to the Astrals in millennia."

Ardyn paused. A Messenger of Ifrit, then? He had thought they'd all died when Ifrit had.

"The name's Alexus, by the way," they said.

"I care not."

"Sure you do," Alexus said with a smile. "Anyway, I'm more or less just along for the ride, here. I met Ellie in Insomnia when she was looking for a housemate, Lili fed me once, and I decided to stick around."

Ardyn narrowed his eyes at them. "Why?"

"Why not?"

The urge to snap the Messenger's neck was strong enough that the daemons grew excited. Ardyn stepped away to put distance between them. It was unlikely that the Astrals would care if he killed a forgotten, wayward Messenger, but underneath his anger, he had no real desire to hurt them.

"Do the Astrals know about her?"

Alexus shrugged again. "Maybe not before, but after using her powers in Insomnia? Probably. The bigger question is, does the Crystal know?"

Ardyn felt sick fear well up in his chest. When he opened his mouth to speak, Alexus cut him off. "And no, I don't know that, either. It should, by all rights. There's not a soul on Eos that the Crystal doesn't watch over. All I know is that, yes, that is your dearly departed Oracle. And unlike others who have been reincarnated, her soul remains exactly the same. Even her body, to a degree." To emphasize their point, Alexus tapped a long claw to Ardyn's chest.

With a barely restrained growl, he lightly slapped their hand away. He played the fool well enough to recognize when someone else was doing it as well. Alexus was lying about something. He couldn't be certain of what, and given their proximity to Elpis, that made them a threat.

They rose an eyebrow. "Perhaps her love of you caused her to fight her way back to the mortal realm. You've been free of your chains for thirty years, after all, and she's twenty-nine. The timing adds up, does it not?"

It sounded exactly like something Elpis would do. Ardyn wished with every part of his wretched being that it wasn't so.

 _Oh, El,_ Ardyn thought. _What have you done?_

"So," Alexus said, "new question: Does this change any of your plans?"

Did it? Could he go through with the prophecy now that he knew Elpis lived once more? Before, Ardyn would have set fire to the entire world and laughed as it burned without an ounce of remorse. He could do that because a world without Elpis was not a thing worthy of mercy. A world that had killed the sun deserved to slowly die in return.

Besides, it wasn't his decision in the end, was it? He was merely fulfilling the plan the Crystal and the Astrals had for him. In a way, he would do what he'd always wanted and whta he'd thought was his destiny: Clean Eos of the Starscourge. They'd simply made him their vessel.

And now?

Ardyn ran a hand along his face, then noted with some faint interest that it was trembling.

"Ahh," Alexus said, "I see you're at a loss, now."

"No," Ardyn said flatly. "I'm not. This changes… nothing. This had all been set in motion long ago; I'm merely doing what the Crystal wants. The prophecy is, rather literally, written in stone."

Alexus laughed, momentarily sounding like the flicker of flames. "If there's anyone who can destroy stone so that her beloved can live free," they said, "it would be Elpis."

* * *

Elpis couldn't understand why she'd told Ardyn about the scar. When she'd gone into the room, she had completely intended to keep it to herself. Yet she supposed it made sense to have told him so soon; once she was in Gralea, he would have found out about it. She'd rather it be on her own terms than being forced to do so.

What confused her more was the expression on his face when she spoke of it. He had looked… pained. As she'd talked, he had looked as if he was only half there with her, the other half of his mind puzzling over something. And whenever he had looked at her, his expression had been strangely tender.

And through it all, one thought kept repeating in her head like a heartbeat: _I know you._

Elpis could not make sense of any of it.

Laelia sat up and looked at Elpis in concern when she returned. "Are you okay?" she asked. "Did he… do anything to you?"

"No," Elpis said, though even if he had, she certainly wouldn't tell Laelia of it. She sat next to Laelia on the bed. "He only wanted to know some things."

"About the daemons, and the Starscourge right?" Laelia bit her lip. "What is he going to do to you?"

Elpis thought about it. The more she was around him, the less certain she was of his intentions. Whether that was a comfort or terrifying, she couldn't tell yet.

"I don't know," she said at last. "I think right now he's mostly… curious about me. I don't know that there'd be much call for my sort of-abilities-in the Empire. They want daemons to come to them, not run away."

"Did you tell him you've never been able to heal anyone else of the Starscourge?"

"Yes," Elpis lied. "He's still interested despite that."

The fact that she had only ever healed Laelia was something Elpis intended to keep secret. She needed to be as useful as possible to Ardyn so he would uphold his end of the bargain. At least until they got to Lestallum and Laelia was safe.

Ardyn also didn't need to know that she'd been born with her yellow eye, as far as she knew. It hadn't changed when she healed Laelia.

Laelia frowned. "I don't like the way he looks at you."

Elpis paused. Despite herself, she was curious. "How does he look at me?"

"Like, I don't know… like you're the answer to the prayers that he didn't even know he was making."

 _Yes,_ Elpis thought. _That's exactly how he looks at me. And I think... I think I like it._

"Nah," Alexus said, appearing in the room suddenly. Elpis and Laelia jumped. "That man hasn't prayed in ages. Pretty poetic of you though."

Laelia's frown deepened. "I wasn't trying to be poetic."

Alexus waved a hand. "And yet."

"Yeah, okay," Elpis said, wanting to stop them in their tracks. "So he's a creep. Is that really surprising? He works for the Empire-at the very top of the chain. He's going to be some flavor of distasteful." She didn't know if she was trying to convince them or herself. Maybe both.

Alexus stared at Elpis for a beat, their pupils widening as if they saw something intriguing. "Would you believe me if I said there's more going on here than what you can see with your eyes?"

Elpis hesitated, which she supposed was answer enough. Worse, her curiousity was growing. What if there were something more going on that she couldn't see?

Did she even want there to be?

"What do you mean?" Laelia asked with a deep frown.

"I probably saw him on TV once and forgot about it, before he came to Insomnia," Elpis insisted. She didn't want to speak of it in front of Laelia, who clearly disapproved. "Or in the papers. I've never actually met the man before now."

Alexus tilted their head. "Hmmm." Their tone was dubious. Before Elpis could prod, they yawned and stretched. "I'm tired. I wanna be in the middle of the bed, so I have both of you on either side to cuddle with."

"You can't say something like that and not tell us what you meant," Laelia said, but it was too late. Alexus had flopped down into the middle of the mattress and, within seconds, was fast asleep, curled up into a ball. Laelia sighed. "They didn't even take off their stupid boots," she muttered, unzipping the knee-high wedges and slipping them off.

When she was finished, she looked to Elpis. "You don't believe them, do you? I don't what you to be 'connected' to that guy."

"Neither do I." Even as she said it, Elpis knew it for a lie. She turned back to Laelia. "Get some rest, okay? I'm going to stay up and keep an eye on things."

"You need to sleep, too."

She shook her head. "I don't think I could, even if I wanted to. Too much has happened. I need to just… think it all over." She smiled before Laelia could argue again. "I'll be fine, Laelia. Seriously. Remember what I said about how it's not your responsibility to look after me?"

Laelia gave her an unreadable look. "Someone has to. You don't look after yourself."

She had no answer for that.

It took Laelia far too long to fall asleep and even when her breathing had slowed, Elpis waited another hour before leaving the room once more.

Some invisible string pulled at her, leading her back to Ardyn's room. Alexus' words had plucked at that string, tightening it until Elpis had trouble drawing breath. She had downplayed her thoughts on Ardyn. The truth was, every cell in her body seemed to yearn for him in a way she couldn't understand and found utterly terrifying.

Not just her body. Her soul, too, maybe.

 _This is utter nonsense,_ Elpis thought. Yet that did not stop her from seeking him out once more.

Elpis hesitated outside Ardyn's door once more. Only a few hours had passed since their conversation. Early morning light started to brush the sky in pinks and yellows and soft blues.

 _What am I doing here?_ Elpis wondered. _He's probably sleeping._

Somehow, she didn't think so.

Finally, she knocked on the door and was met with silence. Then it slid open, revealing Ardyn, his expression bemused. He no longer wore his long coat, shawl, or any of the other extraneous clothes. All that remained were his trousers, vest, and white shirt, the shirttails hanging down his thighs in back. Taking aback at seeing him without his body hidden beneath the numerous layers, Elpis could only stare for a moment.

He looked... good. His shoulders were broad and his arms strong, and most of his height seemed to be in his legs. Legs which had very muscular thighs that were not at all hidden by his pinstriped trousers. Elpis found her gaze lingering on the part of his neck she could see behind his collar. Briefly, she wondered what it would be like to lick it.

 _Nope,_ Elpis thought. _Stop it. This man is your jailer. He's the Chancellor of Niflheim and the reason Insomnia burned yesterday. You are not allowed to find him attractive._

Even if he did have such a striking face. A face that she both recognized and knew not at all.

"Huh," Elpis said, trying to dislodge her traitorous thoughts, "so you can look like a normal person, when you want to."

If she'd hoped to offend him, she was disappointed. Ardyn only chuckled quietly.

"Whyever would I want to, though?" he said. "Have you come back merely to taunt my fashion sense, my lady?"

"No," she said slowly. She fidgeted. "May I… come in?"

He rose an eyebrow, momentarily looking taken aback. Then he stepped aside and motioned a hand towards his room. Elpis went inside, berating herself for a fool every step of the way.

The other parts of his outfit lay on the bed, neatly folded. It was strangely cute. Instead of food, on the table sat a book, resting on its pages to mark its place. Somewhat curious, Elpis went over to the table and tilted her head until she could read the spine.

"Cosmogony?" She looked back at Ardyn with some surprise. "Aren't you a little old for children's tales, Chancellor?"

Something dark passed in his expression, pained and cruel at once, before his smirk returned. "Merely research, my lady. Even children's tales can hold a speck of truth, and from it, there's much one can learn."

"Right," Elpis said. She frowned at the cover, running her fingers over the illustration of Bahamut giving the Crystal to the first King of Lucis. In the background stood the first Oracle, sylleblossoms in her arms, trident in hand, her head bowed in fealty.

"Rather strange to call them children's tales," Ardyn noted, "when the proof of their realism lives in Lucis and Tenebrae."

"Oh, I never said it didn't happen," Elpis said. "Just not the way it's shown in the book. No, this is all fake. You can tell because they took all the ugly, bloody bits out."

Ardyn slowly smiled. "A fair enough point. People never want to confront the dark things about life. They'd prefer to focus on the good. It would be a depressing story if they shared just how many people died when the Founder King and First Oracle underwent the Revelations."

"Right. And for what, anyway? For a crown? For powers?" Elpis shook her head. "The Starscourge came back in the end. So was it really worth it?"

There was a beat of silence before Ardyn said, "While I find your company delightful, and I would be more than happy to discuss philosophy with you, is there a reason for your visit?"

Belatedly, she remembered the oddity of her coming here. She had fallen into a sense of... kinship with Ardyn and had forgotten herself. "No," Elpis said. "I… don't know why I came here."

She couldn't very well say that Alexus had sparked a curiousity in her. Well, no, that wasn't true-the curiousity had been there as soon as she'd seen Ardyn. Alexus had merely fanned the flames a bit.

Elpis shook her head and rubbed at her forehead. "Sorry. Do you have some water?"

Ardyn rose an eyebrow once more but walked over to the table and poured a glass for her from a silver pitcher. It was delightfully cold and helped to soothe the ache that had begun to pound behind her eyes.

"And a mere few hours ago, you were worried I had drugged your food," Ardyn said lightly. "Is this how you say you trust me, my lady?"

Elpis decided to take a long drink of water before she answered that. Finally, she said, "No, it's how I say I'm dehydrated as hell and needed something to drink."

Ardyn laughed once more and Elpis realized with a start that she liked it. It was low, as if he was sharing a private joke with her, and didn't want anyone else to be part of it. As if they were in their own little world.

 _And how do I feel about that?_ Elpis wondered, and came up empty.

"As we're on the subject of stories," Ardyn said, sitting at his table once more, "allow me to tell you one, my lady. A legend from a lost age, long forgotten. Shall I?"

She shrugged, trying to come off as ambivalent to hide her curiousity.

Smiling slightly, Ardyn began:

"Long ago, after Ifrit felled Solheim and the Astrals began their long slumber, the sun took a human form and came to walk upon Eos. She had been cast out from the sky by the rest of her family, the moon and the stars. It was on Eos that she met a humble healer. The healer could cure people of the Starscourge, and the sun was so moved by his compassion and determination that she fell in love with him, and he, her.

"Together, they worked to cure the afflicted. In a time when people would rather kill those with the Starscourge, or exile them to lands unknown, this was… unusual. They came to be known as saviors of humanity. And yet, they could only cure so many with the powers they had. No matter how many they saved, the Starscourge reigned, and the Long Night lasted for years.

"Then, Bahamut granted the sun a vision: The Astrals would grant the healer their powers of light, in order to cleanse the Starscourge from Eos for good. In doing this, the healer would become a King, meant to lead his people out from darkness.

"But this came with a price, as all things must: The sun's human form would have to be killed so that she could return to the sky. Thus it was ordained by the Astrals and the Crystal, that to take up a crown, the healer must cut out the sun's heart. He refused. He was selfish, perhaps, wanting to keep the sun all to himself; or perhaps he simply loved her too much to cause her any pain. Or perhaps, after giving so much of himself to his people already, he could not bring himself to give the one precious thing still left to him.

"Whatever the reasons, it came to pass that the Crystal denied the healer his ascension and cast Her light instead upon the healer's brother, a brave warrior. This young King did what the healer refused to do. He cut out the sun's heart, so that the sun could once more take up her place in the sky and her light bless everyone on Eos, instead of one man. Thus did the sun return to Eos and ended the Long Night. Thus did the Founder King of Lucis take up his crown."

Gods, her head hurt. Elpis had sat down across from Ardyn during his story. She rested her head on her hand, pressing it into her forehead, trying to drown out the pain.

"And… the healer?" she managed to ask. "What became of him?"

Ardyn's voice was flat. "The King of Light cast him into exile. In losing the sun, the healer also lost himself to the Starscourge that he had taken from his people. The King locked him away in a prison with chains blessed by the Oracle. He bricked up the windows and the door, so that the healer may never escape nor be found. And there, in that eternal darkness, did the healer die and a monster made of his shape took his place."

The worst of the pain had passed. She glanced up to Ardyn. "Before you told me the healer died, I thought you were going to say he went on to become the first King of Niflheim. That the story was Niflheim's way of saying the Lucis Caelums are inferior because they were chosen second."

"Ah, no," Ardyn said, his expression pensive. He studied her carefully in a way she found unsettling. As if he was waiting for something. "The Aldercapt family is perfectly capable of writing their own self-aggrandizing history. They excel at it, in fact."

Elpis gave him a long look. "If you think you can win points with me by occasionally criticizing the Empire you serve, it's not going to happen."

"I am not," Ardyn said. "To win your favor would require a great deal more, my lady, and I'm afraid I am lacking in every way."

She set down her glass. "Why _do_ you serve the Empire?"

Ardyn leaned back in his chair and considered her as he tapped his fingers on the table. Finally he said, "There are many answers I could give you, and none you would find satisfactory."

"I'm not looking for satisfaction. I'm looking to-to understand."

"I'm afraid I cannot give you that, either," Ardyn said. "You seek to find some measure of goodness in me, I think. I have none. I serve the Empire because I wish to, my lady."

Silence stretched between them as they stared at one another. Elpis was the first to look away. "I think I'm more disappointed that you won't even try to defend yourself," she said quietly. "I think I pity you, Ardyn Izunia. You seem like a man who has given up on everything and so cares about nothing."

"Only because everything had given up on me first," Ardyn said, smiling broadly. It hurt to look at. "I tired of fighting, Elpis, and so I decided to simply stop. No doubt you think me a coward for it."

"I don't know what I think of you," she said at length. "All I know is that because of the war your Empire raged against Lucis, I've lost people I cared about, and my home with it."

Elpis closed her eyes and hung her head. "What's worse, I understand. I understand being tired of fighting. I'm tired of being inconsequential to Kings and Gods alike."

When Ardyn spoke, his voice was quietly firm. "You are far from inconsequential, El."

"You're only saying that because I have powers."

They shared a long look as Elpis waited for him to deny it. Ardyn seemed on the verge of saying something, then glanced away. Smiling bitterly, Elpis finished her water and stood. "I should go."

If some part of her was hoping he'd stop her-grab hold of her wrist and pull her back to him-then she was doomed to disappointment. "Rest well, my lady," was all Ardyn said to her as she walked away.

He sounded _defeated_.

It took every ounce of willpower in her not to look back at him.

* * *

NOTES: It occurs to me that I haven't been sharing my playlist for this fic as I go along. Unlike The Burden of Shadows, I don't really have songs for each individual chapter. Instead, I have songs that fit the general 'theme' or 'feel' of the story, or that otherwise inspired it.

1\. Bones by MS MR  
2\. Crazy in Love (50 Shades of Grey Remix) by Beyonce  
3\. Once Upon a Dream by Lana Del Rey  
4\. Control by Halsey  
5\. I Remember by Les Friction with Emily Valentine  
6\. Leave My Body by Florence + the Machine  
7\. What the Water Gave Me by Florence + the Machine  
8\. Knights of Cyndonia  
and  
9\. Butterflies and Hurricanes, both by Muse

So, did anyone guess that Alexus might be a Messenger, or a Messenger of Ifrit specifically? They've quickly become my new favorite character in this fic. Possibly because they take more than a few cues from Loki in the Norse myths. They have a very large part to play in things to come, so hopefully everyone else likes them as much as I do.

Thanks for reading this far, y'all.


	5. So Familiar a Gleam

A hard shudder woke Elpis hours later. Groggy, she briefly wondered if an earthquake had struck Insomnia, only for the clank of metal and the sound of engines powering down to remind her of where she was.

In an Imperial airship, taken prisoner.

Glancing over to her side, Elpis saw that Laelia was awake. Alexus was nowhere to be seen.

"What's going on?" Laelia asked.

"I guess we've made it to Lestallum."

"Already?" Laelia seemed to shrink in on herself, her shoulders tight with tension. "I thought we'd have more time..."

Elpis had no clue how to answer that without breaking both their hearts, so instead she got up and dressed. As she shrugged on her jacket, someone knocked at the door. She and Laelia exchanged a glance as she went over to answer it.

Ardyn stood outside. He smiled broadly and bowed his head. "Good morning to you, my ladies."

After their conversation hours before, Elpis had no idea how to react to him. After going through a few scenarios in her head she finally crossed her arms over her chest and merely said, "Good morning."

"We've landed at an Imperial base outside Lestallum," Ardyn said. "It's easier to dock here than it is in the city. We'll be driving the rest of the way. Ah," he continued, holding out a cane, "and this is for your sister."

Elpis stared at it as she debated her choices. Laelia desperately needed a new one before they even thought about heading out of the ship. On the other hand, it wasn't merely a gift; she had no doubt he was buying her freedom, and she was loath to let him have something to hang over their heads as collateral.

In the end, she turned to Laelia. "It's your decision. Do you want it?"

Laelia bit her lip, torn between the pain in her leg and the person offering relief.

"If it eases your worries," Ardyn said, "I don't expect payment. Nor do I consider this a bribe. I may be an Imperial bastard," he continued, looking at Elpis intently, "but I've no wish for the girl to suffer."

Elpis rose an eyebrow at him. She wondered if he thought that made up for things.

Finally, Laelia held out her hand. Ardyn handed the cane to Elpis, making no move to enter the room. She took it from him and gave it to Laelia.

"I'm not thanking you for it," Laelia said.

"I have no need of thanks."

"You say we're driving to Lestallum," Elpis said. "Who's driving us?"

Ardyn smiled once more. "I am, of course."

"Of course." She shot him a look as she made certain they had everything they needed before they departed. Not that there was much to look after. They only had the clothes on their backs, now. When she thought Ardyn wasn't listening, she whispered to Laelia, "Where's Alexus?"

"I don't know. They've been going in and out the entire time you were asleep. They said they had 'places to go, people to be', whatever that means."

Alexus had been keeping up with them so far. Elpis had to hope they'd be able to find her once they were in Lestallum. Somehow, she didn't think it would be an issue.

Once she was as ready as she'd ever be, Elpis turned to Ardyn. "I'm going with you to see her off."

"I didn't expect anything different, my lady."

The ship gave another sudden tremor and Elpis tripped, falling neatly into Ardyn's arms. He barely moved, as if she weighed nothing more than a feather. Meanwhile, she let out a loud "oof" and smashed her nose into his chest.

 _Damnit,_ she thought, _why does he have to smell nice on top of everything else?_ He smelled like the leather from his coat and the mix of fabrics from his many clothes. Surprisingly, Elpis didn't smell any aftershave or soap or even product for his ridiculous hair. Yet neither did he smell as if he didn't bathe.

He was also surprisingly cool to the touch. No wonder he needed all those layers if his body temperature ran so low.

"On your feet, my lady," Ardyn said, his gentle voice vibrating in his chest beneath her hands and sending shivers down her spine.

Elpis looked up at him as she pulled away. Gone was Ardyn's usual expression of being in on some joke no one else knew; he gazed at her with something close to fondness in his amber eyes.

 _What unusual eyes,_ Elpis thought distantly. With muted surprise, she realized that Ardyn hadn't touched her at all until now.

"Ellie," Laelia said, her voice thick with annoyance.

And like that, whatever spell had come over her was broken. She stepped away from Ardyn. "Right. Thanks for... catching me." She shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket and stalked past him. "Let's get moving."

"Why'd it take us so long to get to Lestallum?" Laelia asked, tone laced with suspicion. "It's been three days since we left Insomnia."

Elpis nearly tripped from spinning around so fast. " _Three days_?"

Ardyn held his hands out, perhaps to catch her in case she did indeed fall again. When she didn't he instead lifted them in a plaintive manner. "Doctor Auer said it would be best to let both of you sleep," he said. "Though I will gladly admit that I only asked her opinion after I had made the decision to do so already."

Laelia scoffed disdainfully and continued walking past him. Elpis knew she should share her sister's unimpressed opinion, but frankly, she had needed the rest. What roused her curiousity more was Ardyn's insistence on catering to her every need and making certain she was comfortable. Coupled with Alexus' strange words, it left Elpis feeling as if there was a bigger picture she just wasn't seeing.

Would Ardyn show her that picture if she asked? Elpis doubted it.

Moreover, why would she ever ask?

* * *

"Wow," Elpis said, staring at Ardyn's car. "That's a bit... vintage."

Ardyn almost preened as he stood next to his car. She cut him off before he could say anything. "Please tell me you aren't the type to name your car."

He looked offended. "Her name is Aquila, I'll thank you to know."

Laelia scrunched up her nose. "Yeah, we're not calling it that."

"Where's your sense of fun?" Ardyn shook his head. He opened the passenger door and motioned to Elpis. "After you, my lady."

"Should you really be up front with him?" Laelia asked quietly as Ardyn made his way to the driver side.

"I'll be fine." She helped Laelia into the backseat and took her place up front. She blinked at the console. "Wow," she repeated. Elpis ran her fingers along the large rectangular slot. It took her a moment to even remember what went inside. "Cassettes, really? Doesn't the Empire pay you better than this?"

"How is this car still running?" Laelia asked in awe.

"Wait, is this thing street legal?"

"Now you're just being needlessly cruel," Ardyn said, patting the top of the dashboard. "Pray don't listen to them, Aquila, they know not of what they speak."

Elpis snorted, then somehow it turned into a giggle, and soon she was pressing her hand against her mouth to keep from laughing. Laelia stared at her in mild concern. Ardyn, meanwhile, looked far too pleased with himself.

"Ah, finally," he said, "she laughs!"

Elpis bit her lip hard and reminded herself that the man beside her was a monster. A charming monster, maybe, but evil all the same. If she hadn't had any mysterious powers he was curious about, he would consider her life expendable just as much as any other. She had to remember that.

Ardyn Izunia was not her friend. If only she could convince herself of that.

For all her discomfort, however, the ride went surprisingly well. As much as she disliked riding with other people, Ardyn was a fine driver, and he didn't try to bring her out of her silence. The sun shone down on her, warming her skin. Greenery passed by, turning into a blur close up. She'd been in Insomnia for so long that she had forgotten what the wilderness could look like. She was used to forests of grey steel and endless electronic boards.

Every now and then, she caught herself looking to Ardyn. Studying the lines of his face, his expression, wondering what he was thinking.

Why did their drive feel almost companionable to her?

"Ellie," Laelia said after a while, "what's this?"

Laelia leaned forward until she was between the passenger and driver's seat and handed Elpis something. "Sit back and put your belt on," Elpis said, even as she took the things Laelia had handed her. She instantly felt twenty years older than she actually was.

But even better, Laelia had just handed her prime teasing material.

Elpis held up a tape and waited until Ardyn met her gaze. "'Eyes on Me', really? I didn't take you for a sappy type."

He smirked. "I appreciate good music no matter what genre, my lady."

"Alexus would use this as fuel for a fire," Elpis said, looking through the cassettes. "They're more of an 'Otherworld' kind of person."

"I can't say I share the same love," Ardyn said. "So much loudness used to say very little, in the end."

"Okay, this one is actually amazing," Elpis said, holding up a Queen cassette and trying to remember how to put it into a player. Once it finally came back to her, she turned the volume up. She didn't usually play music at home - she preferred to have her ears clear so she could listen out for Laelia. Plus, Laelia didn't like most of her "old music".

Ardyn laughed quietly as the music played. "I knew you had fine taste, my lady."

"Oh, come on," Elpis said, "anyone who doesn't like them is soulless."

He met her gaze once more and soon Elpis found they were laughing together. It wasn't until she saw Laelia's frown that Elpis realized she had become friendly with Ardyn again.

"Put your belt on," Elpis repeated before turning away from Ardyn and keeping her gaze to their surroundings.

Laelia ignored her as they passed a road sign. She pointed to it, nearly leaning out of the car to do so. "Chocobos! Ellie, there's a chocobo ranch nearby!"

"Laelia, seatbelt, now."

"Have you not seen chocobos before?" Ardyn asked mildly.

Elpis gave him a sidelong glance. "Somehow, Insomnia just doesn't lend itself to them, no."

He made a thoughtful noise in the back of his throat and continued driving. Elpis was so lost in her own thoughts and in her focus to ignore Ardyn that she didn't notice when he turned onto a new highway. It wasn't until an unfamiliar scent laced the air that she returned to the present, just as Ardyn pulled into a clearing in the forest. The high quark of a chocobo reached them as he turned the car off.

Elpis stared at him. "What."

He smirked. "I see no reason why the girl shouldn't have some fun after being inside an airship for the last three days."

"Uh," Laelia said, "'the girl' is right here, weirdo. Why are we here?"

"Exactly as I said," Ardyn said, getting out of the car and going over to Elpis' side to open the door for her. She hated that she was somewhat charmed by it. All the same, she got out of the seat and helped Laelia out. "But allow me to save you the effort and say that we're here for my nefarious purposes. Though what those purposes may be, you might have to think of them yourself."

Laelia squinted at him suspiciously. Another quark visibly shook her wariness. Biting her lip, she looked to Elpis.

Confused as she was by Ardyn's kindness, Elpis only shrugged with a small smile. "Why not? If he's paying, I don't see the issue."

Permission received, Laelia hurried off to the outpost building. Elpis watched, unable to hold back a swell of nostalgia. She had grown up so fast and yet was still so young.

"Are you well?" Ardyn asked gently. He was staring at her intently.

"Yeah," Elpis said. "Curious about your nefarious purposes."

He laughed softly. "I'm a creative man, yet I think even I would have trouble creating a plan that uses chocobos for foul purposes. They're good creatures, chocobos." Elpis saw that his expression had become distant. He was not entirely there with her. "Innocent, loyal, but with a mischievous streak. And far more intelligent than some people think."

She had no idea how to handle this side of Ardyn. Or perhaps she did, but she did not want to give herself permission to do so. Instead, Elpis waited a beat, then said, "Fowl purposes."

Ardyn blinked at her, his focus returning to the present. "Beg pardon?"

"You missed a golden opportunity to make a bad pun," Elpis said, "so I'm making it for you. Fowl purposes."

There was a short stretch of silence between them as they stood in the shade of the outpost building. Then Ardyn tipped his head back and laughed, a full, from-the-belly laugh that she'd not yet heard from him. Elpis tried not to join him but ultimately lost the fight. Her voice mingled with his as they laughed, and for a moment, she could forget everything that should have kept them separate.

"Are you two having fun out here?" Laelia asked in an accusing tone. She glared at Ardyn. "Get inside and pay. I want a pink chocobo."

Still chuckling, Ardyn bowed from the waist and said, "As the lady commands." He shot Elpis a fond look before sauntering away.

Laelia jammed her cane into Elpis' foot. She jumped back. "The hell is wrong with you?"

"Me?" Laelia stared at her in astonishment. "What's wrong with you? Why are you acting so chummy with that jerk?"

"I'm not!" Even to her own ears, it sounded weak. Shaking her head, Elpis rounded on Laelia. "Don't ever hit me again, got it?"

"I'm hoping it'll knock the stupid out of you," Laelia said.

Shocked, Elpis blinked stupidly at her sister. Over the years, they'd had their arguments and their fights. But Elpis had never had to truly discipline Laelia; she'd always been a good kid who didn't look for trouble. Elpis suspected it was because Laelia knew how hard their lives were already and hadn't wanted to add to it. In one way, she felt guilty that she hadn't been able to give Laelia the space needed to be a kid who messed up sometimes. Another part of her was glad for it.

She wondered if seventeen was too late to start punishing Laelia for being a brat.

Scoffing, Elpis backed away. She couldn't think of anything to say without it escalating into a fight or hurting Laelia's feelings, so instead she turned on her heel and stalked off to the fenced area of the ranch.

A young chocobo, its feathers in the awkward stage of being a mix of downy fluff and adult feathers, quarked happily as she approached the fench. It stuck its head out to nuzzle her arm, its beak finding the pocket of her jacket. Elpis smiled slightly. "Sorry, I don't have any food for you. Maybe later, though."

She stroked the chocobo's head and watched as Laelia was taken to a hot pink chocobo. They had a special saddle for disabled people, so Elpis didn't have to worry about Laelia being embarrassed and heartbroken at missing out on riding one.

Ardyn emerged from the outpost building a few minutes later. Despite herself, Elpis found her gaze tugged in his direction. Ardyn met her gaze and smiled broadly, and her heart jumped into her throat. Perhaps Laelia was right to scold her. In her momentary privacy, Elpis could admit she found him attractive.

She could also admit that she found Ardyn fascinating.

This wasn't like her. Elpis had always held herself back in relationships; she'd always been afraid of making herself vulnerable. She couldn't quite shake the fear that someone would get close to her and then turn on her, as they had in Lux. It seemed as though there had been some invisible barrier between her and her past boyfriends. Maybe she had put it up herself, or maybe she simply had no interest in trying to scale it for the sake of someone else. Whatever the reason, it stayed up, and one by one, her boyfriends broke up with her.

Elpis had tried, once Laelia turned thirteen, to date again. But none of the guys she'd met had lived up to some ideal she'd had in her head. She couldn't put into words what exactly she wanted in a guy. She just knew that none of them had been it.

Looking at Ardyn, Elpis wondered if maybe he was the ideal for which she'd been holding herself back.

It was a horrible thought. It was also, perhaps, true.

Ardyn joined her side once more, handing her some treats to give to the chocobos. In companionable silence, they fed the birds, a large group of them gathering by them once they realized they had food. It was nice to simply be in the moment with no need to speak. It was a level of comfort Elpis had never shared with anyone except Laelia.

She felt a tugging at the hem of her jean leg and looked down. "Oh my goodness," Elpis gasped as the tiny black chocobo chick peered up at her. "You are adorable. And so fat! Oh my gods." Laughing, she knelt down and picked the chocobo up, pulling it through the fencing and cradling it to her chest. It chirped at her but made no move to get down. "You don't need any more treats, but I'm going to give you everything I have left."

"Made a friend, have you?"

Elpis grinned up at Ardyn. "I might steal it."

Laughing, Ardyn petted the tiny chocobo. It was barely bigger than his hand.

 _Wow,_ Elpis thought, _no, don't think about how big his hands are. Look at the cute, fat chocobo instead._

"He does seem to like you," Ardyn agreed. There was a hint of pain in his expression behind the smile. "They allow visitors to name the chicks for a price. Would you care to do the honor, my lady?"

Elpis blinked. "Uh," she said, trying to pull herself from thoughts on Ardyn's hands on her skin. Then she brightened. "Really? And no one's named this little guy yet? I mean, sure." She shook her head. "I don't know what I'd name him, though. I've never had so much as a pet rock before."

Instead of responding, Ardyn merely gave her the time she needed to think on names. Elpis glanced at him, then at his car, then back to the chocobo.

With a straight face, Elpis said, "His name is Aquila."

Ardyn's hand paused in the air from where he'd been petting another chocobo. He blinked slowly at her. It seemed as if his entire body had stilled once more, held taut as he waited for her to speak.

Thrown off by his extreme reaction to the chocobo's name, Elpis tried to backtack. "I mean, if that's... okay... with you."

He blinked once more, then cleared his throat and looked away. "It's a good name," he said quietly.

Uncertain as to why he was suddenly so melancholy, Elpis stepped closer. "Are you okay?"

With a deep sigh, Ardyn turned to her once more. He studied her face intently as she felt a blush rise in her cheeks. Too late she realized she had almost closed the space between them. She could feel the coolness of his body from their proximity.

Ardyn's hand found her chin and lifted her face up gently. Elpis made no move to stop him.

 _Yes,_ she thought as she closed her eyes. _I want this._

Then she heard the yowl of a cat, someone shouting "hey!", and a shadow fell over them both.

"Hands off her, creep!" Laelia shouted, and Elpis opened her eyes just in time to back up as a hot pink chocobo pushed in between her and Ardyn. The loss of his touch was like a punch to the gut.

"My apologies," she heard Ardyn say from behind the chocobo. "She merely had something on her chin."

"That is the stupidest lie-"

Exhausted for reasons she couldn't understand, Elpis said, "Laelia. Enough. Just... stop it. Okay?"

Laelia gazed down at Elpis. "But, Ellie-"

" _Enough_!"

Surprised, Laelia fell silent. Elpis set Aquila back into the pen and walked off to the car without another word, without glancing back at Ardyn.

* * *

The drive to Lestallum passed in silence. Laelia was sulking, Elpis couldn't bring herself to even look at her sister, and Ardyn seemed to decide it best not to get between the two. Elpis let the sun warm her face and the wind drown out her thoughts. The fact that she had wanted Ardyn to kiss her shook her to her core. Was she really so starved for affection and love that she'd been willing to take it from an Imperial man? The shame of it was overwhelming.

That did not stop her from wanting Ardyn's touch once again.

As they neared Lestallum, despite her anger, Elpis began to dread the moment when the car would stop and she'd have to say goodbye to Laelia. She'd allowed herself to forget that it was coming when they were at the chocobo ranch. She should have prepared herself better. She never should have forgotten her situation. She couldn't even take a moment to enjoy the newness of Lestallum in her misery.

Ardyn pulled into the carpark and turned the engine off. Without a word, he opened Elpis' door once more and stood to the side as Elpis helped her sister out.

Laelia gripped her hand tightly. She looked up at Elpis, pleading. "Please, don't do this."

Swallowing hard, Elpis could only reach out to pat her head. Laelia jerked back hard, scowling. "Don't do that. Don't treat me like a kid."

Hurt, but not wanting to show it, Elpis merely let her hand fall back to her side. She managed a smile. "You are a kid, though," she said, not unkindly. "Otherwise you'd understand why I have to do this."

Before Laelia could respond, Elpis went to join Ardyn's side. He had discreetly edged further away to allow them a moment alone. She hated him for it.

"Can we get going, please?" Elpis hugged herself, unwilling to meet Ardyn's gaze.

He seemed to hesitate, shifting his weight from foot to foot. Then finally, he said, "We part ways here, Lady Maialen."

It took her a second to realize he was speaking to her, not Laelia. "What...?"

Ardyn smiled. "I release you from our accord. In the city, there's a hotel called the Leville. I've arranged things so that you may stay as long as you need until you're back on your feet. I'll be paying for everything, so have no worry of that. Getting your papers once more might prove to be trickier, but I'll have them sent to you as soon as they're done." He gestured to the little town behind them. "It's no Insomnia, to be sure, but you will be safe here."

Elpis stared at him. "Is this a trick? A test?"

"No," Ardyn said. "And, if I recall correctly, which I do, I never actually said I would take you to Gralea or to Verstael Besithia. I only said I would take you from Insomnia, which I have. And so it is here that I bid you farewell."

She shook her head. "But what about... everything?"

"I know not of what you speak," Ardyn said, his tone and expression innocent.

"Maybe not, but what about the people on the ship? The ones who saw me in Insomnia, same as you?"

"Well, I may not have any influence amongst the army, but that just leaves me able to bribe people for their silence. Everyone has a price."

"Yeah," Elpis said, "and what if someone outbids you? Someone who hears a story, a rumor, and decides to go looking for me."

Suddenly, Ardyn turned serious. He stepped closer and, in a low, dangerous voice, said, "If money will not ensure their silence, their deaths will."

Elpis recoiled from him. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Many things, my lady, and I've no time to list them all. I have other duties to attend. And you have a life to be living."

"You..." Elpis licked her lips and fixed Ardyn with a hard look. "Don't you dare kill anyone for my sake. If that's the price for my freedom, I refuse to pay it. Take me to Gralea."

Ardyn tilted his head as he considered her. "You react with such horror," he said. "Yet would you not kill to protect your sister?"

Gaping, Elpis found she had no answer for him. Or rather, she did have an answer, but it wasn't one she wanted to say aloud:

Yes. She would absolutely kill in order to protect Laelia. Without a second thought.

Perhaps the issue Elpis had now was that she never thought anyone would be willing to kill for _her_.

He sighed fondly. "How stubborn you can be. I'd nearly forgotten it."

Ardyn continued before she could even begin to decipher what he could have possibly meant by that. "Fine. I give you my word that I won't kill anyone to keep you a secret. And from here on out, you will never again be bothered by the Imperial army. Nor by me. This is the last we'll see of each other."

Ardyn turned away from her to head back to his car.

 _Wait,_ some part of Elpis cried out. _Wait, please. Look at me. Look at me._

Ardyn stilled. Slowly, he turned until he met her gaze. They shared a long look full of unspoken words and filled with layers Elpis could only half see. She could not say why she wanted him to stay, could not understand why it hurt as much as it did to see Ardyn walking away. She could not understand why she felt as if she'd gone through this before.

He inclined his head respectfully and Elpis wondered if she'd come undone then and there. If he had bowed or done any of the other mockingly grandiose actions, it would have broken whatever was passing between them. For a brief, glorious moment, Elpis thought she was seeing the real Ardyn. Not the jester, not the Empire lackey, but the man behind the mask.

"Stay here in Lestallum. The light will protect you." He cast her one last, pained smile. "Remember me, El. I dare not ask that it be fondly, but remember me all the same."

With that, he was back in his car, and soon driving away. Elpis' breath left her in a broken rush. Laelia approached Elpis cautiously as she stared after the car.

"Are you okay? What happened?"

"I... he let me go. He won't tell Niflheim about me."

"It could be a trick."

"No," Elpis said, still staring off into the distance. "I don't think it is."

* * *

One of the better parts about being technically dead and consumed by Starscourge was that it was easy to let the daemons consume feelings. Ardyn allowed them to do just that, feeding them his sorrow, his fury, his pain. He would let them feast on his heartbreak, if his heart were still capable of breaking.

Closing his eyes, he leaned his head on the back of his seat. He'd had to pull over soon after leaving Lestallum, as he'd been losing his focus to the clawing, grasping pain in his chest.

Perhaps he could still have his heart broken, after all.

"So," a voice said, "was it any easier losing her the second time?"

Ardyn didn't even bother to open his eyes. "Get out of my car."

"Aw," Alexus said, "but the back is so comfy. Lots of leg room. But for real," they said, their voice turning serious, "why did you do that?"

Ardyn looked up to the blindingly blue sky, at the rays of sunlight filtering in through the leaves. "There's a darkness coming, Messenger," he said at length. He lifted his hand to a beam of sunlight. The Starscourge reacted, a black mist rising from underneath his skin, coiling angrily. "I intend to deliver it. Nowhere else will be safe for her save Lestallum."

His hand fell limply back to his lap. "Two millennia ago, Elpis lost her life for love of me. For the man I was. She was so... loyal, so fiercely loyal, and brave, that she could not turn her back on me even when she should have. And my _brother_ ran his blade through her heart for it. She should have left me and lived in the light. She should have had a husband and children of her own. Perhaps now, she can have just that.

"If she was brought back to life for a reason, I will not allow that reason to be me. Not again. I'm not the Ardyn she knew and loved, the man she died trying to save. I cannot break her heart again. I cannot be the reason she dies again."

There was a long stretch of silence, so long that Ardyn almost thought the Messenger had left. Instead, he felt lips on his forehead, and recognized the touch of a divine being within his blackened soul. The daemons recoiled from it. He did not.

"You shame her with your words," Alexus said quietly. "Her mother called you a self-sacrificing, noble fool. It seems you've not lost that part of your heart yet, Chosen King."

Gritting his teeth, Ardyn tried to shove the Messenger away, only to be met with empty air.

Alone at last, Ardyn closed his eyes and tried to forget how much he had lost in his long, long existence.


	6. In the Air Tonight

The first thing Elpis did in Lestallum was sleep for two days straight.

Though she felt guilty when she finally awoke, Elpis couldn't deny she'd needed the rest. She no longer felt like a gentle breeze might blow her away. More to the point, she could read the reports on Insomnia without having a full blown breakdown. Instead, she memorized every picture, every detail of the damage and death toll. Prince Noctis and Princess Lunafreya had originally been among the dead, but then the reports had changed and said that Lunafreya still lived.

Noctis did not.

And just like that, Lucis fell into Niflheim's hands. The Lucis Caelums had no heirs outside of Noctis.

This, she told herself, came at the hands of Ardyn Izunia. His kindness to her and Laelia did not wash his hands of blood. If anything, it just stained them further.

Mainly, Elpis told herself all of this in the hopes it would get her dreams of him to go away.

The rooms Ardyn had given them were suites that, even after a year of working, Elpis would have never been able to afford. Laelia's was connected to Elpis' room by a doorway, in case her sister needed help with anything. Alexus had their own room, not that they ever seemed to use it given how much time they spent in either Elpis' or Laelia's. Elpis still wasn't used to having a room to herself - for the last ten years, she and Laelia had shared a bedroom. The privacy and silence it granted her also gave her too much time to think.

Things stayed tense between her and Laelia. Elpis' anger had faded gradually, but she couldn't bring herself to be the one to apologize first. It was petty of her and she knew it was. That didn't stop her from continuing the silence. Elpis wasn't even entirely certain what she was angry about anymore: That Laelia had stopped Ardyn from kissing her, or that she had wanted him to kiss her at all.

Whatever the reason, it didn't matter anymore, truly. Ardyn was gone. Elpis had a new life to build in Lestallum. They would never meet again.

It was stupid how much that upset her.

"Right," Elpis said on the morning of their sixth day in the Leville as she poured herself some coffee. "I'm going out today to scout job openings. You're all right to stay here by yourself for a bit?"

Laelia rolled her eyes when she thought Elpis wasn't looking. "I'll be fine."

"Wasn't actually asking you," Elpis said, then looked to where Alexus lay sprawled out on a couch.

If they'd had a tail in their human form, they would have flicked it in irritation. "Yeah, yeah," they said. "You know I'm older than you by, like, several millennia?"

"Try acting like it sometime," Elpis said as she shrugged her jacket on. "I'm out. Don't burn anything down while I'm gone. See ya."

She snickered as she imagined both Laelia and Alexus' offended expressions. It was the small moments of joy she had to cling to.

Lestallum was already busy when Elpis emerged out onto the street. She was still getting used to its rhythm. It wasn't as fast paced as Insomnia had been, but for a moderately large town, it did okay at keeping her on her toes. The voices of the street vendors in the marketplace filled the air, and the smell of all kinds of food carried on the wind. Every now and then she could see the EXINERIS power plant beyond the buildings. The steam from the tower rose into the sky, marring an otherwise lovely day.

Lazily, Elpis made her way to the marketplace.

Saying she'd been looking for a job had been a lie; without her ID or any other papers, Elpis couldn't look for a job just yet. Not unless she had misread the character of Lestallum and someone was willing to pay her under the table. In Insomnia, she could always bet someone was disreputable and desperate enough for help to do so. Here, not so much.

But she'd needed some space to herself. There were only so many hours she could spend in her hotel room, ignoring thoughts of Ardyn, before she grew restless.

After buying some skewers for a light breakfast, Elpis wandered through the marketplace. Since Ardyn had graciously covered the bills for the Leville (a fact that Alexus took advantage of, ordering steak for dinner every night), she had extra gil to spend. She'd already bought Laelia new clothes but had so far ignored her own need. A shop near the marketplace had mannequins outside the building. Elpis stopped and considered an orange dress with a floral pattern as she finished off her skewer.

She wasn't normally a dress kind of girl-it was easier to wear jeans when she was at work, and her clothes so often wound up dirty or torn that she'd learned to buy things she wasn't overly attached to. The only really nice piece of clothing she had was her yellow jacket. But the dress was awfully pretty. And orange just happened to be a color that looked good on her.

The price tag decided her. Elpis could not convince herself to spend that much on a dress she would probably only wear once.

Backing away from the store, she tried to figure out what she wanted to do next-only to run into someone.

"Oh, shit," Elpis said, catching herself before she fell. She turned to face the other person. "Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going-"

She stopped and blinked. The man in front of her seemed... insubstantial, somehow, as if he were an image laid over something else. He had pale white skin, black hair, blue eyes, and a strong jawline. His clothes were strange, a blue robe with a darker blue shawl around his shoulders and a sword at his hip. For one heartstopping moment, Elpis thought she recognized him.

"It's fine," the man said, and the image faded before she could blink again. Instead a boy only a little older than Laelia stood in front of her. He had the same black hair but in a modern style, fair skin, and blue eyes. He looked at her with a hint of embarrassment. "I wasn't looking, either."

A girl in a modified school uniform stood beside the boy. She smiled in understanding at Elpis. "There's so much stuff to see here, right? I always get distracted, too!"

Elpis gave her a shaky smile. "Y-yeah. Uh. Anyway, sorry again." She turned and winced as a pounding ache took up behind her eyes. Sighing, she rubbed her temple.

She'd hoped all the strangeness would have stopped when Ardyn left her in Lestallum.

Apparently not.

* * *

Elpis managed to avoid the boy for the rest of the day, though how in such a small place like Lestallum, she didn't know. She decided to treat herself at a little cafe and stayed there for the rest of the day, paying the waitress extra to make up for lost turnovers. Though she could never admit it outloud, Elpis felt aimless. As if she were merely wandering because she had nothing else to do.

Or, worse, as if she were searching for someone.

As dusk began to fall and the city lit up, Elpis finally left the cafe. Two women holding hands passed by her, obviously on a date, and Elpis tried not to feel the acute loneliness in her heart.

 _This is ridiculous,_ she thought. _What am I, fifteen? Enough of this._

Elpis let out a long sigh. If only it were so easy to get over something.

She was halfway to the Leville, night having fallen, when the ground began shaking beneath her feet. At first it was only barely noticeable; then, before she could prepare herself, the shaking became actual tremors, the earth sliding back and forth underneath her. With a yelp, Elpis fell, the impact jarring her teeth. Around her, people shrieked. She could hear things crashing and breaking.

As quickly as it began, it stopped.

And all around her, the lights flickered out, one by one.

Elpis stared as darkness descended on the city. With a loud explosion, the power plant suddenly died. The night sky emerged from the ever-present light that had emanated from it.

Elpis felt it before she heard it. A shift in the air, in the ground beneath her feet, as darkness pooled behind her.

 _No,_ she thought as people began running past her. _Not again._

The daemon emerged from the swirling darkness, claws clicking against the cobblestone path. It growled when its glowing yellow eyes landed on her. She gagged on the cold, fetid breath. It looked different from the others she'd seen somehow, but she wasn't terribly interested in studying it to figure out exactly how.

"Go away," Elpis said quietly, backing up. She held out a hand. "Go. Away."

At first, it seemed as if the daemon would listen. Then it shook its head, like it was fighting against something in its mind, and with an earsplitting roar, charged at her.

"Get down!"

Elpis immediately hit the ground, hands over her head. She felt something whoosh past her and heard a terrible shriek as it hit the daemon. Looking up, she saw four men clad in black - one of them being the boy from earlier.

A blond haired boy aimed his gun at the daemon again and shot once more. The other three summoned their weapons from seemingly thin air, blue light momentarily illuminating them.

 _Blue light,_ Elpis thought distantly. _The Crystal._

Instead of lying on the ground like easy prey, she rolled away and stood - only to immediately find more darkness awaiting her. The daemons ignored the four men and rounded on her.

 _They're after_ me, Elpis realized with grim horror.

"Elpis!" A hand grabbed her and pulled her away from the newly emerging daemon. It roared in anger and Alexus hissed back at it. They lifted a hand and snapped their fingers and the daemon was overtaken with fire.

"Whoa," the blond haired boy said. "What just happened?"

Alexus turned to Elpis and shoved something at her. "You probably don't remember how to use it," they said as Elpis gripped the stave. "But it's better than nothing. These things are after you."

"Yeah," she said numbly, "sort of already figured that out."

"Hey, lady!" The black haired boy shouted. "You need to get out of here!"

"We can handle them," the biggest man said, wielding a sword longer and wider than she was.

Alexus stared at Elpis hard. "If you survive this, we're going to have a talk afterwards," they said. "I'm sorry, but you were never meant for an ordinary life."

With that, they jumped into the air, and Elpis' eye lost track of them somewhere in midair. Then a large orange coeurl landed on a daemon and, with a snarl, ripped its throat out, Starscourge oozing down their fangs. Elpis looked down at the stave in her hands. The weight of it was comforting. It was... familiar.

 _I know this._

Adjusting her weight, Elpis took a second to center herself - and slammed her stave into the daemon closest to her. She fell into the movements of battle easily, her body seeming to know what to do without her mind needing to think it over. Daemons fell around her with horrid dying screams that faded into nothing. Her stave became slick with black ichor as she jammed it through daemon heart after daemon heart.

And then, just as quickly as it had begun, it was over. Elpis tried to catch her breath, leaning on her knees, as Alexus rejoined her side in their human form. Their long nails-their claws-were dripping with Starscourge.

"Are you hurt?" they asked as they carefully wiped away the Starscourge.

"No," Elpis said. "Maybe. My head... it feels heavy."

Alexus nodded, looking completely unsurprised. "I imagine it does. You're carrying around quite a lot in there."

"Thank you for the assistance," one of the black-clad men said. He wore glasses and his hair seemed to defy gravity. If Elpis hadn't just been fighting for her life, she would have laughed at the thought. "You should still get indoors."

"I didn't realize daemons were stumped by doors," Elpis said drily, standing upright. "Thanks for the concern, and the help, but I don't think four walls are going to be much help here."

"It's better than nothing," the tallest man said.

She held up a hand. "Look, no offense, but... I think the daemons are after me in specific. It's a long story."

The man with the glasses seemed intrigued, but only said, "And one we don't have time to listen to right now."

"Thank the gods, a man with sense," Alexus muttered.

The black haired boy seemed less convinced. "What makes you say that?"

"Let's say I have a lot of evidence to back it up," Elpis said. Though the air was still and peaceful for the moment, Elpis felt as if someone-some _thing_ -were watching her. She had no doubt the daemons would show up again soon.

"So, short and sweet: I'm Elpis. This is Alexus. We're from Insomnia. I need these things to stop trying to kill me before I go back to my sister, Laelia."

All four exchanged looks, seeming to have a debate without actually using words. Elpis would have been impressed if the situation weren't so dire. Finally, the black haired boy nodded slightly.

"I'm Noctis," he said. "This is Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto."

Elpis blinked, then blinked again. "Noctis, as in... the Prince?"

"Yes, Ellie," Alexus said. Their gaze was on something beyond them all. "Pleasantries later. Killing now."

Before any of them could attack, the world was suddenly ablaze with bright, white light. Elpis heard the hum of electricity as power returned to Lestallum. The daemons howled as they burned away to nothing.

"Well," Alexus huffed, "that was anticlimatic."

"Uh, I'll take it," Prompto said.

Gladio turned to Elpis and Alexus. "I think we should get to know each other a little better," he said, in a way that was very much not flirtatious. He looked at her as if she were a threat.

 _Maybe I am,_ Elpis thought as she readjusted her grip on her stave.

Alexus stepped in between them. "Easy now, big guy," they said, baring their teeth in a smile. "Ellie won't have any answers for you. Not yet, anyway. Let me talk to her first. Then she can decide if any of you get to know her story."

* * *

Elpis let her stave rest against the wall of her hotel room. Laelia hurried forward. "El! Are you okay? When the power went out, I thought Niflheim-"

Elpis nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine." She hugged her sister tightly, not knowing how to tell her that everything might be about to change. Alexus had said that she was never meant for an ordinary life. Did that mean she would drag her sister down with her as well?

"Hate to interrupt," Alexus said, "but time has become crucial."

Laelia looked between them. "What do you mean?"

"Just... some things have happened. Again," Elpis said. "I'm sorry. I only ever wanted you to be safe. But it's looking like you might be safest away from me."

Alexus sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "You have awful timing, Ellie. Laelia," they said, turning their attention to the girl, "I know you have questions. Give me a minute alone with Elpis and, afterwards, I'll try to answer as much as I can. Okay?"

Laelia hesitated, gripping Elpis' hand hard. Then she nodded and reluctantly let go. The door to her hotel room closed behind her, leaving Elpis alone with Alexus.

Elpis eyed Alexus warily. "What exactly are you talking about?"

"You're going to want to sit down for this one," Alexus said, pushing Elpis over to a large recliner. "And it's going to hurt like a bitch. You've got quite a block in here, Ellie." Alexus pressed a finger to Elpis' forehead to emphasize their point. "I can put a chip in it, but I can't knock it down entirely."

Their expression was uncharacteristically grim. Elpis didn't know how to respond.

Did she really have a choice any more? It was clear the daemons would keep coming for her. Whatever chance she'd had at a normal life had ended the day Niflheim invaded Insomnia.

And she had so many questions. Her heart yearned for the answers. It longed for Ardyn.

"I do," Elpis said. "Whatever you can do to help me, to help all of this make some sort of sense... I want you to do it."

Alexus smiled tightly. "My dear, brave fool," they whispered. "How brightly your soul blazes."

And then Elpis' vision went white as Alexus tore through her mind.

* * *

She stood in the ruins of a city she did not know. Darkness covered everything, only broken by firelight. Some people walked by, not seeing her, and she could only stare at their old clothes. They were dyed dull colors and the fabric seemed coarse.

 _Where am I?_

"In Solheim." Alexus appeared beside her. "As it stood, after the War."

A flash of red caught her eye and she turned to see a small orange cat panting in pain behind some rubble. It looked sickly and had patches of fur missing; other places were matted with blood. A woman in a yellow headscarf and white dress approached, basket in her arm, then slowed as she saw the cat.

Elpis recoiled.

She was looking at her own face.

"And that," Alexus said quietly, "is you."

The woman in yellow knelt down beside the cat, her expression pained. "Oh," she said, holding a hand out to the animal. "You poor thing. Did a daemon attack you?"

She wasn't speaking any language Elpis knew and yet she could understand it all the same. On her headscarf was a gold medal in the shape of a sun. Elpis knew, in her soul, that it had replaced something that had been important to the woman once upon a time.

The cat mewled pitifully as the woman stroked its head. Then she closed her eyes and placed her hand on the cat's side. A gentle white light glowed from her hand and sank into the cat, and Elpis watched as the cat's wounds healed. The woman opened her eyes and smiled.

"There you are," she said, scratching the cat's ear. "You're welcome to follow me home, if you like."

The cat regarded her with bright green eyes before racing off. And just like that, the image faded, becoming blurry.

Elpis turned to Alexus. "Was that... that was me?"

"It was," Alexus said. "And the cat, I'm sure you've guessed, was me. I had just come back to life after dying in the War, trying to protect my father, Ifrit."

"Your _father_?"

They ignored the question as they turned to Elpis and put their hands on her cheeks. "Oh, my dear," they said, and for once they sounded truly apologetic. "There's so much more you don't yet know. Once upon a time, long ago, you were the first Oracle to be Chosen by Bahamut."

"Me?"

"You." Alexus nodded. "You came from a land of golden dirt and hot skies, from a tribe you were supposed to one day lead. You had a sister, as you do now. After the War, during the Long Night, she caught the Starscourge. You gave up everything you knew in order to save her. You left your tribe, an act which was expressly forbidden, and sought out a man who could heal your sister."

A man. Elpis shook her head even as she felt the truth settle in her marrow. "No."

"You sought out a man known as the People's Healer," Alexus said. "Ardyn."

* * *

Elpis awoke in the chair, her head pounding with agony. A cup appeared in front of her.

"It won't kill the pain," Alexus said, "but it'll dim it a bit. Enough to get through the rest of the night."

Weakly, Elpis took the cup and drank whatever was inside. It burned down her throat, but relief quickly followed it. She waited until the worst of the pain had passed before looking to Alexus.

Elpis swallowed the last of the drink before quietly saying, "I had a previous life."

"That, you did." Alexus sighed, sitting on the arm of a chair. "You shouldn't, by all rights. For a lot of reasons I can't get into just yet. You faced some consequences for it, though." They tapped their right eye.

She touched the skin beneath her yellow eye. "And... what of Ardyn?"

Alexus looked away. "What of him?"

"Is the Ardyn I met a... a reincarnation as well?"

"... No."

Elpis blinked, trying to clear the fuzziness from her mind. "I don't understand."

"I know," Alexus said. "I can't tell you more. It would do more damage to the wall in your mind. This has to be a process, not something we do in one fell swoop, otherwise we risk destroying your mind. I can, however, tell you that Eos has found you. That's why the daemons attacked you. She is sending them after you now."

"Oh," Elpis said. "So the planet itself wants me dead. Okay. Shit."

She stood on shaky legs, putting a hand to her forehead as dizziness threatened to send her back into the chair. She waved Alexus away when they reached to help her. "Just give me a minute."

Escape. She needed a second to herself, to process whatever the hell was happening. Elpis stumbled into the bathroom, closed the door, and locked it behind her. Leaning on the sink, she turned the water on to its coldest setting, then splashed her face with it. The shock of it helped to center her.

Elpis watched the water run down the drain before looking up at her reflection. The woman in the vision-herself-had been older than she was now. She'd looked tired.

The same way Ardyn looked tired.

"Right," Elpis said quietly. "So. I'm a reincarnation of the first Oracle, who wasn't part of the Fleuret family, and who seems to have been erased from history. I lived in Solheim after my family cast me out. I knew... I knew Ardyn then."

The word knew stumbled off her tongue awkwardly. Alexus was keeping something from her, Elpis could guess that much. How had Ardyn gone from a man who healed others of the Starscourge to a man who saw human lives as nothing but meaningless collateral? And what had Alexus meant when they'd said that Ardyn wasn't a reincarnation? Had he never died? That would make him over two millennia old.

How could he have lived so long?

"The planet itself can control the daemons," Elpis whispered. "And somehow I've pissed it off and now it wants me dead. How do we feel about all of this?"

The tremble in her hands answered her question.

She was terrified.

* * *

"Right," Alexus said as they approached the door to Noctis' room. "Let's keep some of this to ourselves for now, shall we? The Prince has his own destiny to fulfill, and your reappearance onto this mortal coil has complicated things a tad. No need to tell him about your past life. Let me handle it."

"Great, then can I go back to bed if I'm apparently not needed here?"

Alexus snorted and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the room. They knocked and said, "Hallo, it's us!"

The door opened to reveal Ignis. He pushed his glasses up and considered them frankly. Elpis got the sense that he didn't trust them, and was waiting to see how much of a threat they might be to his Prince.

Prompto, on the other hand, waved cheerfully from beside the girl from earlier.

 _Well,_ Elpis thought, _at least one of them doesn't look like he's waiting for me to try to stab the Prince._

"Off getting your story straight?" Gladio asked from where he leaned against a wall, arms crossed over his chest. Elpis wasn't fooled by his casual stance. One wrong move, and that stupidly large sword of his would be at her chest.

Alexus gave him a cool look. "Such distrust, though I understand why," they said. "Close the door. This isn't meant for random people's ears."

When Ignis had sealed the door and took the further step of locking it, Alexus smiled. Everyone stiffened when they saw their fangs. "Our rushed introductions earlier didn't do us justice. I'm Alexus Igni Nasci, a Messenger."

Ignis gave them a look. "Your name. It translates to 'born from fire'."

Alexus' pupils widened as they grinned. "Ooh," they said, "I like a smart man."

"We can guess which Astral you serve, then," Noctis said drily.

"Served," Alexus corrected as Ignis seemed to have no idea how to respond to their flirtation. "My god is dead and now rests at the Rock of Ravatogh. I'm a free agent."

"No way," the new girl said, her brown eyes wide. "Ifrit?"

"Yep." They squinted at the girl. "I assumed this was someone you trust, but who are you, exactly?"

Gladio stepped away from the wall. "Iris, my sister. She can be trusted." _Unlike you,_ he didn't need to add.

Noctis looked to Elpis. "And you?"

 _Wow, where to even start?_ Elpis sat down with a small sigh.

"Elpis Maialen," she said. "Like I said, my sister and I came from Insomnia. To be honest, I wasn't really looking to get involved with daemons and the Astrals," she said. "After Niflheim invaded Insomnia, I just wanted a quiet place to live with Laelia."

"Seems like something you don't really get a lot of say in," Prompto said. "Being chosen by the Astrals, I mean."

"Yeah," Elpis said, picking at a rip in her jeans. "Apparently not."

"Ellie has powers that draw the daemons to her," Alexus said. "It wasn't until the electricity failed tonight that they could find her in Lestallum, though. Insomnia had kept her safe before now."

Noctis leaned forward. "Only my family and the Ladies of Fleuret should have any kind of powers," he said with a frown. He hadn't meant it in an arrogant way, only pointing out the obvious: Elpis was an anomaly. She did not fit in with the rules of their world.

She shrugged. "I don't know what you want me to say here. I didn't ask for them, but here they are."

"The question then becomes what to do about it," Ignis said, looking off into the distance.

"I mean, we can't leave them here," Prompto said. He looked at the others. "Right? There's gotta be some way to help Elpis. Or maybe she could help us!"

Gladio gave Noctis a sidelong glance, gauging his reaction. Elpis found it somewhat fascinating to watch the nonverbal conversations between all of them. Sure, she sometimes did the same with Laelia, but never to this degree, and it was only ever with her.

What would it be like to be so close to someone that you can have an entire conversation without saying a single word?

"If you'll forgive me for speaking frankly, Miss Elpis," Ignis said, "I'm not fond of the idea of having you in our group when you're something of an unknown entity."

"Forgiven," Elpis said, her tone a tad dry. Still, of the entire group, she was warming up to Ignis the most. He didn't seem as opposed to her as Gladio did, at least.

"So then, don't," Alexus said with a lazy shrug. "We weren't asking to tag along with your grand quest. In fact, we refuse."

Everyone stared at them. "Uh," Noctis said, "you do?"

Alexus nodded decisively. "Your path differs from ours, Your Highness. If I'm not mistaken, your Oracle is going to the Astrals and awakening them. Yes?"

Hesitantly, Noctis nodded.

"She's forging covenants," Elpis said quietly, uncertain how she knew. She frowned. "That's..."

Alexus silenced her with a look.

Before anyone could say anything else, the door suddenly opened. The four men and Alexus tensed, ready to draw their weapons, as Laelia ran in. "I don't want you to go with them!"

"What the hell?" Gladio said.

Ignis frowned. "That door was locked."

"Of all the times for you to use the lockpicking skills I taught you!" Alexus growled.

"Wait, _what_?" Elpis said, then shook her head. "No, never mind. We'll talk about this later. Laelia-"

"No!" Laelia yelled. "You always say that! And then something happens, like that stupid Chancellor wanting to take you to Niflheim, and now the daemons finding you in Lestallum-"

Alexus planted their face into a hand while Elpis bit back a sigh.

Ignis' expression sharpened like a hawk finding prey. "You were with Chancellor Izunia?"

"For certain definitions of the word 'with'," Elpis said.

"Then he knows about you," Gladio said. "And these powers you have."

"Are you with him now?" Noctis asked, a dangerous note in his voice.

Alexus stepped in front of Elpis calmly. "No," they said. "The Chancellor brought us here to Lestallum and left us. He has no interest in Elpis."

"You know we can't really buy that you're telling the truth now, right?" Prompto said.

Gladio stepped closer, only for Alexus to suddenly growl. Their claws extended and Elpis was certain their pupils had changed once more. They placed their hand near Gladio's heart, and Elpis cringed as she imagined them clawing his still beating heart from his chest.

"Listen well," they hissed, "I have no wish to harm you, but if you try to hurt Elpis or Laelia, I will rip your throats out without remorse. Continue on your path, O True King, and seek the power of the Gods. Your Oracle will await you across the sea. We will take care of ourselves."

With that, Alexus rose a hand, snapped their fingers, and the heat of a blazing fire dried Elpis' eyes as it consumed them. Elpis grabbed Laelia, pulling her close. It took her a moment to realize the fire had come nowhere near touching them.

She opened her eyes warily. They stood outside of a Haven. Far away, Elpis could see the Disc of Cauthess, where the Titan rested. Laelia trembled in her arms.

Angrily, Elpis turned to Alexus. "What the hell was that?"

Alexus shrugged nonchalantly. "Sure, it could have gone better," they said. "And maybe it was overdramatic on my part. I didn't _have_ to use the fire. I thought it best to make a point."

"What point was that?"

"Not to fuck with us." Alexus' appearance slowly returned to a human look. "Ignis was right. You can't join their little group, at least not yet. Where they're going, you cannot follow; I would prefer to keep you away from the Astrals as long as possible."

Laelia pulled away from Elpis. "But... why?"

Alexus seemed to be considering their answer before they said, "I have my reasons."

The last thread of Elpis' patience snapped. She stomped over to Alexus. "Fuck your reasons," she snarled. "You're using me just like Arydn wanted to. Why should I trust you?"

To her surprise, Alexus seemed genuinely hurt. They placed a hand on their heart. "Because I love you, Elpis," they said. "And I tire of destiny taking the things I love. Out of everyone in the world, the only people who mean you well are myself, Laelia, and Ardyn Izunia."

The anger fled as fast as it had arrived as Elpis realized they were being sincere. Elpis' shoulders slumped and she hung her head. Tears welled up in her eyes, soon falling to the dirt beneath her feet. "Gods, Alexus," she said. "I want this to be over. I never wanted any of this."

"I know," Alexus said, pulling Elpis into a hug. They kissed her head. "Which is why I'm doing the things I do. Please, trust me. Trust that I have nothing but your happiness in mind."

"What does that mean?" Laelia demanded. "She was happy in Insomnia. She was fine in Lestallum. Why-why do you keep trying to take my sister from me?"

Gods, how Laelia's voice broke her heart. Elpis pulled away from Alexus' hug, giving them a brief look. Alexus seemed to read something in her expression and minutely nodded. Elpis went over to Laelia and put her hands on her shoulders.

"Hey," she said. "Listen. The Gods themselves wouldn't be able to take me from you, okay? All of this stuff that's happening, it doesn't change the fact that you're my sister, and I love you. Got it?"

Laelia glared at her. "Why does it feel like you're saying goodbye?"

Elpis took a deep breath. "Because I am. No, listen to me. Anywhere I go, I'm going to be in danger. The daemons are going to follow me. I have to find a way to make all of this stop, so that when I come back for you, I won't be putting your life at risk. If anything ever happened to you, I would never forgive myself."

"Don't I get a choice? What if I chose to come with you?"

"Sorry," Elpis said with a small, sad smile. "This one time, I have to make the decision for you."

Her hands dropped away from Laelia's shoulders and she took a step back as Alexus appeared behind Laelia. "I love you," Elpis said. "Whatever happens, don't ever forget that."

"What-" Laelia jumped as Alexus put their arms around her shoulders. "No! Let go of me! Elpis, please-"

In a blink, they were gone. Elpis imagined Laelia finding herself back in their hotel room at the Leville, alone and furious and heartbroken. She could only hope that Laelia would forgive her one day, once this was all over.

If it ever ended.

* * *

NOTES: Chapter title comes from the song "In the Air Tonight" originally by Phil Collins. However, I used the cover by In This Moment for this fic.


	7. Rattle the Chains

"The storms that had stalled over the Nebulawood region have cleared. Some claim Ramuh was involved-"

Ardyn shut off the radio, leaning back in his chair. Things were certainly moving along rather speedily. Dear Noctis had gained the power of the Fulgurian and, no doubt, would come looking for his Regalia soon.

All the better for Ardyn. If things progressed quickly, then he didn't spend as much time thinking of Elpis. Nothing could be done for the quiet hours when the world slept and he did not, but at least his days were busy enough.

 _I think I pity you, Ardyn Izunia._

Ardyn closed his eyes at the memory of her voice. In his imprisonment, he'd forgotten what it sounded like. Now, in the silence of his temporary office on the base, he could recall it with perfect clarity. He'd yet to decide whether this was a blessing or a curse.

A large explosion somewhere in the base made him open one eye. "Ah," he said to himself, "right on time, Noct."

He would let the boys have their fun for now. Let them imagine they dealt a blow to the Empire when they destroyed the base. With how things were going to go in the next few weeks, they'd need all the encouragement they could get.

Such poetic tragedy, Ardyn mused. Fighting so hard to defeat the Empire, not knowing that the Empire was doomed no matter what they did. The Starscourge was progressing fast in Iedolaus. Soon, it would be time to turn him.

A sudden crackle of lightning shot through the air and Ardyn found himself wincing, though not in pain, necessarily. Merely in acknowledgement of the divine power that had just flooded the base. Noctis was putting Ramuh to good use already.

"I do believe that's my cue," Ardyn said, standing and placing his hat on his head. He didn't bother with the door to his office; he warped out near the generator, which was now rather dead.

"Should the Chosen fall," Ardyn heard a voice saying, "then that, too, is fate."

He rolled his eyes. If he were still a praying man, he would pray for the gods to deliver him from angry, foolish young children. Especially naive children who thought they could save the people they loved if they just fought hard enough.

"I'd say that's far enough," Ardyn said, stepping into the fray. He smiled at Noctis. "A hand, Highness?"

Noctis glowered. "Not from you."

"Oh, but I'm here to help."

Gladiolus scoffed. He held his middle, and Ardyn hoped Ravus had at least bruised a rib. Pain and doubt were always great character builders, and why should Noctis be the only one growing up in this story?

"Like you helped that girl in Lestallum?" Gladiolus asked.

Every part of him froze. The smile slipped from his lips as Ardyn narrowed his eyes. There was no use in dissembling about it. "And how," he said lowly, "did you come to meet her?"

"The better question is what you're planning to do with her," Ignis said.

Without looking at Ravus, he made a small shooing motion with his hand. This was not for the puppy to hear. Ravus' expression darkened, but he did as Ardyn ordered.

Once he was gone, Ardyn spread his hands in a placating manner. "I intend to do nothing," he said. "We met by chance and I saw her off to Lestallum with her sister."

The four boys shared looks. Clearly, they knew of Elpis' powers, but they couldn't tell if Ardyn knew of them as well. Really, they were so easy to read, it almost took all the fun out of things for Ardyn.

He couldn't let them know how important Elpis was. Their focus had to be on the covenants. So he merely shrugged and smiled once more, looking to Noctis. "When next we meet, it'll be across the seas. Take your Regalia and go, Your Majesty. It wouldn't do to keep your bride waiting."

He turned and left in no particular hurry, following the path Ravus took. He could hear the group talking behind him, but frankly, he didn't care what they were saying just then.

Ravus sent off his new orders to his men, giving Ardyn a brief, irritated glance. "You're not known to mix with women of a certain occupation, so who is this girl they mentioned?"

The problem with Ravus, Ardyn reflected, was that he let his anger go off rather like a bomb. It hurt everyone, not just his enemies, and at times it even hurt him. He was twenty-eight and yet he still acted like a child. It was far better to hone one's anger into a blade and focus it on one enemy, one goal. The enemy had to be whoever had caused the hurt in the first place.

Of course, for Ravus, that was Niflheim. And seeing as how he could not rage against Niflheim, Ravus had instead placed his anger on Regis and Noctis. It added a delicious dash of melodrama to Noctis' journey, to have the brother of his future wife hate him, so Ardyn had allowed his fury to fester unabated.

Now that anger threatened to harm Elpis. In considering this, he had to be careful how much he told Ravus about her. If Ravus knew there was another in Eos who had some of the powers of the Oracle, he would hunt Elpis down to the ends of the world in his attempt to save Lunafreya. Ardyn would hate to have to kill Ravus far sooner than he'd planned.

Flippantly, Ardyn said, "No one of importance. She helped the Empire during the invasion in exchange for safe passage from Insomnia. I obliged."

Ravus was also far too easy to fool. He accepted Ardyn's story without another thought. "We've no more time to waste. Let us make for Altissia at once."

Ardyn inclined his head. "As you command." He paused, then asked, "Have there been any reports from Lestallum since the quakes ended?"

Long used to Ardyn changing topics seemingly at random, Ravus said, "The power momentarily went out in the city a fortnight ago. We've some reports of daemons attacking, but no one was injured or killed. We'll be sending troops in later."

Arydyn's mind went blank. He had not sent daemons into Lestallum. Nor had he been aware, in that distant, hazy manner, of any daemons being in the city. How had he allowed this to slip by his notice?

Perhaps, he told himself, it was merely a fluke. He'd been too engrossed in Noctis' journey to pay too much attention to anything else.

He could lie to everyone but himself.

Back in his temporary office, Ardyn pulled a dagger free from a sheath. It was old, and it had taken time to restore it to its former glory. He could vaguely remember Elpis buying it one day in Solheim and then, later, him training her how to use it. The training had ended with both of them in their room, naked and breathless.

Ardyn set the dagger back in its sheath. Elpis had used it against Somnus in her last moments alive. He would be the only one to appreciate it being the thing that killed Lunafreya.

He had to stay his course. The power outage was a one time thing, as were the daemons. He had no answers and no time to find them; destiny had waited two millennia. It would not wait longer.

Still. Perhaps he had best stop by Lestallum. Just to make certain Elpis was still safe.

* * *

"Miss?"

Laelia blinked and looked up at the waitress standing next to her table. The waitress smiled tentatively. "Would you like some more to drink?" She nodded to Laelia's empty cup.

"Oh," Laelia said with a small nod. "Sure. Thanks."

The waitress took her cup but hesitated. "I'm sorry for being nosy, but you've been waiting here for a few days now. That woman who was with you-was that your sister?"

"Yeah," Laelia said, running a hand over the tabletop. "If I need to leave, you can just say so."

"Oh, no!" The waitress shook her head. "No, that's not what I meant. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Laelia forced a smile. She was so far from okay that it was almost laughable. She didn't want the waitress to know, though. "Thanks, ah-" She glanced at the girl's nametag. "Thanks, Viera."

Viera smiled before hurrying off to get Laelia a new drink. She cast her gaze back out the window, setting her chin on her palm.

Why was she still waiting for Elpis after she'd been left behind so painfully? It was clear that Elpis considered her a burden who would only slow her down in... whatever she was doing. People like Laelia didn't get to be heroes in great stories. There was a reason Laelia wasn't much of a reader, and the fact that she never found herself in any books was a large part of it.

But Elpis had never treated her that way. She'd been realistic about Laelia's limitations, but she had never been condescending or overprotective. Laelia's own parents had a meltdown every time she so much as stubbed a toe. She'd thought Elpis would be different. At the very least, she never thought Elpis would leave her behind.

Laelia rubbed at her thigh, trying to ease some of the pain from her muscles. She couldn't decide if she hated Elpis for what she did, or if she was too scared Elpis might die to hate her.

She'd told Elpis that she hated the way the Chancellor looked at her. Now Laelia realized she should have said that she hated the way Elpis looked back: As if just being around the Chancellor made her feel lighter and happier. As if he had stepped out of her dreams.

"Welcome back, sir."

"And how good it is to be back. Though not for long, I'm afraid."

Laelia's head snapped up. She knew that voice.

Grabbing her cane, she rushed out of her chair and out of the restaurant portion of the Leville. Standing in the lobby was the Chancellor-Ardyn Izunia.

"You!" Laelia hurried forward and, before she could think better of it, slapped him. It probably hurt her hand more than it did him, but he looked surprised by it nonetheless. "This is all your fault!"

Ardyn calmly regarded her. He held out a hand to stop the manager from coming forward to restrain Laelia. "My lady," he said, "it's good to see you in high spirits and unharmed."

"Shut up," Laelia said. "If you had just left El alone, none of this would have happened."

Ardyn shifted, almost nervously, though his expression remained calm. "Is your sister... unwell?"

"Daemons attacked her," Laelia said, "here in Lestallum. Alexus said they were after her. And now she's running from Niflheim and the Prince, and-and if you hadn't taken us from Insomnia, she'd still be here."

The Chancellor cast a glance at their audience, whom Laelia had been ignoring. He stepped closer. "Mind your voice, my lady," he said. "Lest you wish for more people to know of your sister's condition."

She raised a hand to slap him again, only for Ardyn to grab her wrist. "And enough of that. My patience only goes so far. You've a right to your anger, but express in it ways that do not involve hitting me, if you please."

Laelia bit her tongue to keep from spitting in his face. She reined in her anger as best she could, taking a deep breath, and when she pulled her wrist free of Ardyn's grip, he let her go easily. She wished he had gotten angry in return instead of being reasonable

"Now," he said, leading her away from the onlookers. "Let's talk, you and I."

* * *

"Right," Elpis said, "what next?"

Alexus cast her a sidelong glance. They sat high up in a tree, back resting against the trunk, one leg dangling down. "I suppose that's up to you," they said neutrally as they went back to keeping watch.

They had set up camp at a Haven of which Elpis had entirely missed the name. It was relatively empty, being far from Insomnia and Lestallum, a fact that suited Elpis just fine. The forest was an indistinct blackness outside of the light of the Haven. Every now and then Elpis thought she saw something lurking beyond the light, but she could never be sure.

She picked at a seam in her sleeping bag. "Nothing about any of this has really been up me to so far," she said flatly.

"The curse of destiny," Alexus noted.

"Ugh," Elpis said. "I thought destiny was reserved for important people like the Lucis Caelums and the Fleurets. I thought the Astrals only cared about kings and monsters."

"They do," Alexus said bluntly. "Unfortunately for you, you happen to fall into a category they find interesting. And, as I said, Eos knows you're back in the mortal realm as well now." They picked at their teeth with a clean, white bone, which Elpis decided she didn't want to know the origins of.

 _Yeah,_ Elpis thought, _didn't really need the reminder that the planet itself hates me now._ Especially when she was the one stuck sleeping in a bag on the hard ground. Only the Havens kept Eos from sending more daemons after her.

"I can't really make any decisions if I don't have the entire picture," Elpis said. She tried to keep her voice even, but failed somewhere midway. "You're keeping things from me still, and I know you are."

Alexus didn't immediately answer. Instead they stared out at the forest, then sighed, stood on the branch they'd chosen as their perch, and jumped down to the ground. They landed easily on their two feet. The long claws on their toenails scratched against the dirt as they approached the campfire.

They sat cross-legged on the ground and flicked the bone away. "What do you want to know first?"

"Eos," Elpis said immediately, even though her heart wanted to ask about Ardyn. "You said it was sending daemons after me now. How?"

"Eos herself is infected with the Starscourge," Alexus said as they stared into the flames. "It was inevitable, I suppose. Either way, she is ill now, and it has twisted her heart. I can't claim to have ever been close to her and I cannot say she was ever particularly kind. She views most creatures who live on her as scientist would mice they experiment on: dispassionately, interested only in seeing what her creations can do. And if they are a disappointment or a failure, well..."

Alexus shrugged a shoulder. They didn't need to elaborate. "Humans, however, she has always found interesting. I think perhaps you exceeded her expectations. At first she was thrilled. Then Solheim began to create weapons that could kill Astrals, and Eos became fearful. After all, she is a kind of Astral herself. How long until the experiments she created decided to turn on her? You humans are known for having surprising amounts of hubris and arrogance.

"Then the Starscourge came, and Eos decided she wanted to see how things would play out. It might prove useful for her next creation, you see. It grew out of hand, though, and infected the star itself. Even Astrals are not immune to the plague."

Elpis knew she was a somewhat smart woman. She'd had to be, to make it through her life. Maybe she had never gone to university, sure, but that wasn't a measure of someone's intelligence.

Damn if she didn't feel as dumb as a chocobo chick while Alexus carried on, though.

She rubbed her temples. "So. Eos is sentient. And apparently a huge bitch who sees her creations as fun distractions that she can erase any time she wants. Am I supposed to feel bad that she got infected?"

Alexus scratched the chin with their claws. "Well," they drawled, "if you want to keep living, yeah. But Bahamut and Shiva grew to pity the mortals and so came up with a plan to one day purge the Starscourge from Eos and humanity. A little thing they called destiny and a prophecy of a True King who will banish the darkness forever. They managed to convince Eos of it by presenting it to her as a fun game to play with the mortals. Eos does love a good tragedy.

"But you were one of the stars of the tragedy, two millennia ago," Alexus said quietly. "You and Ardyn."

SIlence stretched between them as Elpis took that in. She thought of Ardyn's amber eyes, how cold he had been to her touch, how she'd not once seen him eat or drink anything in their time together. She thought of the exhaustion in his face.

"Ardyn has something to do with the Starscourge, doesn't he?" she asked, her voice a whisper.

Alexus looked away. "He _is_ the Starscourge."

A sharp pain cut through her head and she winced, tears springing to her eyes. It faded after a few minutes, leaving her feeling fuzzy-headed. So much made sense now. And it didn't excuse what Ardyn had done, but Elpis couldn't deny it made things understandable.

Alexus ran a hand along her cheek, making her start in surprise. They smiled sadly at her. "You do have two choices. One, you could keep running until the day the True King fulfills the prophecy and cleanses Eos of the scourge. Then the daemons will stop and you can have a normal life once more."

Elpis eyed them. "What's the catch?"

"In order for destiny to play out, the True King and Ardyn must both die. And there will be no guarantee that, in another few millennia, destiny will repeat itself and play out a similar story with the same amount of bloodshed and heartbreak."

"And... the second choice?"

"You get involved," Alexus said. "Destiny did not account for you, my dearest Oracle. Your part was meant to end long ago. Being here now means there's a chance."

There was something in Alexus' tone that set Elpis on edge, a hint of something that she'd never heard from the other person before. Their eyes were dark in the flickering light and their face impassive.

"What is it you want, Alexus?"

Slowly, they grinned, showing off their sharp teeth. Beside them, the fire crackled and embers rose into the night sky.

"I want to destroy the thing that killed my father," they said. "I want to end destiny."

* * *

Another tremor passed through Lunafreya's body, her joints burning with a deep ache. She felt as if she'd aged fifty years in the last week alone. Her hand trembled as she carefully set her teacup down.

 _Please,_ Lunafreya prayed. _Let my strength last a little while longer. I cannot fail now._

Her body ignored her. Such was the price the Oracle must pay for the covenants.

"Hark, Oracle, for I come bearing grand news."

Lunafreya startled, twisting to see who had spoken. A person stood in her room, unfamiliar to her; they had bright red hair, piercing green eyes, and light brown skin. Their clothes were ambiguous, black shorts over leggings, a red top underneath a black leather jacket trimmed with white fur. The person themselves were neither easily identified as male or female.

She recognized divinity when she saw it.

"You're a Messenger," Lunafreya said, ignoring their previous words. "Yet I do not know you."

"Nor would you," they said, bowing respectfully. "I never sought you out to introduce myself before, but let me do so now. Call me Alexus."

Several images seemed to overlap on Alexus; Lunafreya could see the human aspect before her, but also their divine Messenger form with wings, a coeurl, and a small cat. When she blinked, the images disappeared, leaving only the human behind.

"Why have you come to seek me now?" Lunafreya asked. "It cannot be that Ifrit is returning to life."

Alexus glanced out a window. "No, he remains dead," they said. They walked over, their high heeled wedges silent on the floor. Much like a cat. "I come to you because I have quite the story to tell, and I hope you will listen."

"Of course."

They perched on top of a chair, elbows on their knees. "What do you know of the First Oracle, my lady?"

Lunafreya shook her head slightly. "Nothing. Any records of her were lost long ago. Cosmogony does not even know her name."

"Eida Millis Fleuret," Alexus said. "That was the first Fleuret Oracle's name. But I speak of another."

Lunafreya stilled. "I do not understand you."

Alexus smiled and held out a hand. Their nails were painted blood red. "It is easier to show you, I think. If you'll permit me?"

Did she? Lunafreya had absolute faith in the Astrals and their Messengers, but this Messenger put her on edge. They put to mind a wildfire and Lunafreya was not entirely certain she would remain unburned.

"If it helps," Alexus said, "I seek only for Noctis to fulfill the prophecy as well."

Their tone was sincere, and Lunafreya was reminded that wildfires were necessary to burn away dead brush so that new life might bloom. She reached out and took hold of Alexus' hand-

-And found herself crying mere minutes later.

"Please," Lunafreya said, "tell me this is a lie."

Alexus handed her a tissue. "No. The lie has been in your Cosmogony all these millennia." They knelt in front of Lunafreya, looking up at her with such sincere sympathy that Lunafreya was taken aback. "This is why I say it's all right for you to be angry, Lunafreya. All of this could have been avoided. Your mother could still be alive, your brother the boy you once knew, and neither you nor Noctis would have to bear such heavy burdens."

"But the prophecy-"

"I know. And I know I'm hurting you by making you question your immovable faith," Alexus said. "I'm sorry. That is why I call it immovable, though. You will have your doubts now, but you'll continue on your path. It is too late to spin Fortune's Wheel back now."

Lunafreya took a deep breath to keep from crying more. She had to think clearly. "This woman-Elpis? She lives again?"

"She does."

Never before in her life had Lunafreya questioned the prophecy or her role in it. She never questioned her duty to Eos as the Oracle. Her life was a small thing compared to the entire world, and her needs did not matter in the face of the world's fate. It wasn't fair, but it was never meant to be. Destiny never was.

It was not entirely true that she didn't harbor doubts. Lunafreya knew she was sending Noctis to his death. As a child, she hadn't known that fact when he'd promised to banish the darkness for her. It hadn't been until she'd Ascended as Oracle that she knew the full truth of the prophecy.

It had nearly broken her heart.

But now...

Lunafreya looked to Alexus. "What would you have me do?"

"Continue the path," Alexus said. "And know that it is not in vain. Noctis will banish the darkness, my lady. In that, you may still have complete and utter faith."

She leaned back in her chair as another tremor rocked through her body. Her head had been pounding for days. Little by little, her strength was leaving her.

But now, Lunafreya felt something she'd never felt before:

Hope for a different future.

* * *

 _In her dreams, she prayed. With her hands clasped so tight that they hurt, Elpis prayed to any of the Astrals who would listen to her. She prayed for an end to the Long Night, for Ardyn to stay safe, and, secretly, for him to always be by her side._

" _Have you found faith so quickly?" a voice behind her asked and Elpis felt her shoulders tense._

" _After your brother saved my sister," she said, "how can I not?"_

 _A man with black hair joined her side before a shrine to Bahamut. He bowed his head in prayer. When he was done, he cut her a sharp look. "I hear doubt in your voice."_

 _She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "You will always hear doubt in my voice because you want to hear it there." She stood, brushing the dirt from her orange skirt. "Believe me or don't, I care not which. But do not doubt that I am capable of faith."_

 _From beyond her, somewhere she couldn't see, came a laugh that sent a shiver of pleasure down her spine. She turned towards the sound unconsciously, a smile playing on her lips._

" _I have faith in_ him _. That should be enough for you."_

* * *

Elpis rose with the dawn. She hadn't slept for more than a hour at a stretch the night before. She was too heavy with the knowledge that Alexus had given her.

The Messenger was nowhere to be seen, but Elpis knew they'd return soon enough. She sat up in her sleeping bag and rubbed at her face. She felt decades older and it was not entirely the fault of the ground she'd been sleeping on.

Ardyn was the Starscourge. She was a wild card in a game she never even knew was going on. And she had a crazy Messenger who wanted to dismantle destiny and wanted her to do it.

It was times like these that Elpis wasn't entirely sure if she hadn't gone mad at some point in the last few weeks. Maybe Laelia really had died in Insomnia and the truth of it had shattered Elpis' mind. Maybe debris had hit her head and put her in a coma and this was all some strange dream. Things like this did not happen to people like her. People like her were not forgotten Oracles or destined to do great things. They were meant to live average lives while the Astrals kept their attention on kings.

As she watched the sun rise, Elpis considered her options. Running away sounded good. But Alexus had neglected to mention how long it might take the 'True King' to fulfill the prophecy. Would it be soon, or would it never even happen in her lifetime? And even if it did...

Even if it did, Elpis knew she could never live with herself if she hid like a coward. Nor would the anger ever leave her.

Gods, she _was_ angry. Furious, actually. Her life was not a toy to be used by some being who thought themselves divine. It was destiny's fault that she'd had to let go of Laelia; destiny's fault that had laid waste to Insomnia and the people there; destiny's fault that Ardyn had become what he was.

She could not- _would not_ -spend the rest of her life running. Elpis refused.

And she could admit to herself that she wanted to save Ardyn. No, not just Ardyn: She wanted to save everyone, from the True King to the most unknown peasant in all of Eos. She wanted Laelia to be able to live a life free from the fears of daemons and Starscourge, to be secure in the knowledge that she was safe from anything that might hurt her. She wanted future kings and queens to be free from the shackles of so called "destiny".

Elpis had never thought of herself as a hero before, but perhaps she was.

At the very least, when Alexus finally returned, they found Elpis staring defiantly out at the horizon. As if Eos stood there and Elpis was daring her to try something. Alexus paused when she met their gaze; she could only imagine what her expression might look like.

"There it is again," Alexus said quietly with a small smile. "That fire. How brightly you burn, Elpis."

"Good," Elpis said. "Because I feel the need to burn the fuck out of divinity. I won't run, Alexus. It's not gonna happen. Take me to wherever I need to go. Take me to where I can start changing the future.

"Take me to Ardyn."


	8. Calm Before the Storm

Elpis came to him in the dark of night. She walked towards him slowly, her hair loose, her white shift flowing in some invisible breeze.

She smiled brightly when she finally reached him. Ardyn trembled when she set a hand on his cheek and gazed up at him. Her eyes were not mismatched, and from the way she held herself, he knew this to be the Elpis of the past.

"El," he breathed, wanting to touch her but not wishing to sully her with his foulness.

"Ardyn," she said sweetly. "Dearest Ardyn."

Hardly daring to hope, he said, "Do you remember?"

"I do," Elpis said. Her thumb stroked his cheek. "I remember all of it now. I remember how you failed me."

Ardyn tried to recoil from her as if he'd been stabbed, but Elpis suddenly gripped his face in her hand, her nails digging into his skin. And it _hurt_. It wasn't supposed to hurt. He couldn't feel physical pain anymore.

"El-"

"Don't 'El' me," she said in disgust. She stared down at him dispassionately. "I gave up so much for you, Ardyn. My home. My family. My life. And you couldn't even bring yourself to do me the honor of dying by your hand? You had to be a coward and let your brother run me through?"

She shoved him down to the ground and, before he could recover, her foot was on his throat. Ardyn gagged, but he didn't try to move her. He would not hurt her. He wouldn't even risk it.

And he deserved this.

"Is it any wonder the Crystal rejected you?" she sneered. "What a weak man you are. Even if you hadn't been corrupted, the Crystal would have seen you for what you are. There's no place for mercy in a king. Do you know what I think, Ardyn?" She took her foot from his throat and came to straddle him, staring into his eyes. "It's your fault I died. You may not have held the sword, but the blame rests with you all the same. Everyone would have been better off if you had simply stayed dead."

"I know," Ardyn managed to rasp. "I know."

"Do you?"

Before he could respond, Elpis convulsed as a sword pierced her heart once more. Her blood coated him, filling his mouth, his nose, and Ardyn let out a strangled yell. Elpis laughed as blood ran from her mouth and her eyes turned yellow. She took hold of his face once more as he struggled to get away. Her touch was sickeningly gentle.

"Oh, Ardyn," she cooed. "Death would be too kind for you. I hope Noctis strings you up in the prison for another two thousand years."

And as quickly as she had appeared, she was gone.

Ardyn dragged air into his lungs and jerkily sat up. He was in his hotel room, waiting to take flight for Altissia. The blood was gone. There was no sign Elpis had ever been there.

Nothing except the gaping, clawing agony in his chest. The daemons' voices, broken with fury, raged in his head so loudly it felt as if they were pressing against his very skull. Ardyn held his head and tried to push them all away.

 _Want her,_ the daemons cried. _Take her. Turn her. Keep her forever. Mine, mine,_ MINE _._

Ardyn banged his head hard against the stone floor until black ichor began to slowly run down his skin. He felt the Starscourge rising up in him, threatening to choke him unless he did as it bade. And gods help him, but he was tempted. Elpis could be his again. He could kill Noctis and bring about another Long Night, and they could be the rulers of the darkened land. King and Queen, as they had once been promised. If the light would not grant them happiness, maybe the darkness would.

She would be his forever.

"No!" Ardyn clawed at his own throat, tearing away the skin until the Starscourge stained his fingers. It wasn't until he'd dug into the muscle that his body finally registered a dull pain, warm and pulsing like a heartbeat he no longer had.

It steadied him, gave him something to focus on other than the voices in his head that begged for Elpis' destruction. Slowly, the Starscourge settled, going instead to healing the mess he'd made of his own neck. Ardyn could only lie on the floor as his muscles and skin knit back together.

The Starscourge had first taken Elpis' form in the prison. How many times had he been forced to watch her death replay itself? How many times had the Starscourge mocked him with her pain, her dying rattle, the sight of her blood on the floor? It never changed. Only Somnus' part had. Sometimes he taunted Ardyn that he had finally killed the heretic that had led him so far from the Light. Sometimes he turned his own sword on himself in shame. And Ardyn could never look away.

When he'd finally learned how to control the Starscourge and its illusions, Ardyn had kept it from ever taking Elpis' form again. He would not even allow himself to create an illusion of her in happier times. As her face faded from his memory, it became easier to keep her from the daemons.

So how had he lapsed in control tonight?

His throat healed, Ardyn shakily sat up. Bits of the stone floor fell from his hair. The Starscourge he'd shed had already dissipated. He slowly rose to his feet and looked about his dark room. He had no need for sleep, but he had entered a trance-like state where the outside world had disappeared and his mind ran free. Had the daemons seen a chance? Had Elpis' new life inspired them to new cruelty?

 _Not us_ , the voices whispered. _Not us. Not us. Want her. Not us._ _ **She**_ _._

Ardyn paused. _She?_

The daemons did not answer.

He ran a hand down his face and let out a shaky breath. "El," he whispered, "what's happening?"

* * *

"The government issued a statement promising that the reasons behind awakening the Hydraean would be clarified in the ceremonial address. Delivering the address is Lady Lunafreya, who was previously reported dead. This will mark her first public appearance since the violence that befell the signing ceremony."

Elpis scowled at the radio. "'Befell'. Like it happened at random, and wasn't because Niflheim are traitorous liars."

"Hmm," Alexus said, picking a shrimp off their plate and eyeing it with glee. They ate it in one gulp and licked their lips.

"Dial it back, Alexus," Elpis said.

"Oh, please," Alexus said, sniffing at the untouched eating utensils beside their plate. "Shrimp are finger food. It's fine. As far as I know, Niflheim isn't looking for us."

"Yet."

Elpis resisted the urge to rub at her right eye. Somehow, Alexus had acquired a colored contact for her to hide the yellow iris underneath. It was better than going around in an eyepatch. Alexus themself had changed their hair from bright red to a dark, almost brown shade of red. Their pupils stayed round, their fingernails deceptively short, and their fangs were nowhere to be seen.

Alexus gave her a look. "Trust me, Elpis," they said, "if Niflheim wanted to find you, you would be found by now. You're not on their radar, or if you are, you're so far down the list of important shit that you may as well not even be on it."

"You really know how to make a girl feel important." Elpis pushed away her plate and sat back in her chair. She watched gondolas float by on the waterpaths. They'd been in Altissia for a few days, having made for it as soon as possible. The Empire hadn't been far behind.

"I still don't understand why you couldn't have just taken me to Ardyn directly," Elpis said.

Alexus pulled her plate towards themselves and began eating the forgotten fish. "Mmph. He hides himself from the Astrals. If I have a rough idea of where he is, I could maybe do it, but I could also put us right in the middle of an Imperial base."

It made logical sense, so why did Elpis suspect Alexus was lying? She'd come to realize over the last few days that her trust of Alexus only went so far. They were keeping too many secrets and controlling too much of the narrative. Unfortunately, Elpis also realized she had no choice but to trust them. They were her one friend in a battle she'd never wanted to fight. If she was to have any chance of returning to Laelia alive, Elpis had to hope Alexus really did have her best interests at heart.

Alexus' head cocked to the side slightly, and Elpis could almost see their ears prick at something she couldn't hear. Then some Imperial troops marched by. Neither one of them looked directly at the soldiers, but they were aware of them all the same. Elpis took the opportunity to rub at her forehead lightly. Ever since Alexus had chipped away at the wall, there had been a constant dull ache in her head. Nothing she took for it helped.

"It must be getting close to the day," Alexus mused when they'd passed, not seeing Elpis' discomfort. "The high commander arrived recently, too. I'm sure your Ardyn will be here as well."

"He's not mine," Elpis said after a beat of silence.

"Hmm."

Elpis frowned. It was time to change the subject. "Do you think they'll really try to kill the Hydraean?"

"Try, yes," Alexus said. "Succeed? Eh."

"Didn't they kill the Glacian a few years ago?"

Alexus smiled tightly. They rose from their chair and motioned for Elpis to come with them. "They killed an aspect of her, yes," they said. "Shiva is not truly dead. Gods cannot be killed so easily, not when they walk in different realms all at once."

They strode down a pathway in silence. Alexus avoided the gondolas whenever they could. Elpis was more than fine with that; she'd never learned to swim and had a deep fear of drowning. Despite her unease, Elpis found she liked Altissia. Instead of the glare of electronic boards, the city got its color from the buildings painted in cheerful yellows and blues. The way the waters reflected the moon at night was hypnotizing and relaxing. Everyone was polite but kept to themselves in the way of people who lived in a city.

It was easy to forget some of her heartache here. Back in her hotel room, Elpis had left her phone turned off. Alexus had wanted to ditch it altogether, but she couldn't leave Laelia without a way of contacting her once it was all over.

If she was still alive when it was all over.

"Can I ask you something?" Elpis said.

"Yes, but I can't guarantee an answer."

Which was fair enough, Elpis supposed. "You died in the War of the Astrals protecting your father, right?" At Alexus' noise of affirmation, she continued. "How is it you came back? Did the other Messengers of Ifrit return too?"

Alexus' expression tightened. "I was the only one to fight by my father's side. The others joined the Astrals. We don't speak to each other. As for how I came back... I like life too much to let something like death stop me from living it, Ellie."

Elpis cast them a sidelong glance. "Ifrit was trying to kill humanity."

"So he was," Alexus said, "after the people of Solheim decided they no longer needed the gods. You may think poorly of me if you wish, but I did what any child would do: I tried to protect my father. I had no opinion on humanity one way or the other back then. You were occasionally amusing creatures that had little impact on my life. It hasn't been until these last two millennia that I gained any sort of love for your kind."

Elpis fell silent as she considered their words. Would she have done any differently in their place? If it had been Laelia in Ifrit's place, would Elpis have fought against the Astrals and humanity itself to protect her?

What a stupid question. Of course she would have.

"So is Shiva your mother then?"

Alexus looked momentarily confused, then said, "No. We're not born the way humans are born. I was born when Ifrit first gave fire to humanity. A spark escaped from the first hearth created and caught flame in the grass. It created a wildfire, and Ifrit found me amongst the ashes." There was a pause, and then they smirked. "I was what you humans these days call an 'oops baby'."

"Yeah," Elpis said, "wildfires tend to be oops. One more question."

Alexus sidestepped a puddle with a disdainful glance. "Aren't you the curious bug today."

She ignored that. "One of your, er, forms is a coeurl. How come they can use lightning, if you're creatures of Ifrit?"

Their expression darkened. "That was a joke between my father and uncle, and we shall never speak of it again."

"... Okay."

Alexus stopped at a path corner and sniffed the air. How they could smell anything other than saltwater and fish, Elpis wasn't sure. She feared she'd never be able to get the smell out of her hair.

"I have an errand to run," they said. "You should see yourself back to the hotel and away from the Empire."

Elpis crossed her arms over her chest. "What's this 'errand'?"

"Nothing for you to worry about." They waved a hand as they began walking off. "I'll return soon, Ellie."

There was no hope of following them without being caught, so Elpis grudgingly continued on her way. Instead of going to the hotel, she made her way to an area of town full of shops. She lingered there while her thoughts were consumed by the events of the last few weeks. Although she'd made the choice herself to seek out Ardyn once more, ever since then, she'd felt decidedly out of control of her own life. Alexus seemed to be calling most of the shots.

Elpis tried telling herself that she was fine with it. They knew more than she did. Although perhaps if they stopped keeping things from her, she would be more comfortable with their current set up.

She stopped in front of a stall run by a young girl who was selling handmade items. The girl grinned up at her, showing off the gaps in her smile where she'd lost teeth. Elpis thought of Laelia at the same age, losing her teeth one by one, and smiled back. She bought a woven bracelet for Laelia and hoped she'd been able to give it to her one day.

A movement caught her eye. A seashell dangling from a necklace moved in the slight breeze, though none of the other necklaces did. The shell was white with faint pink lines. Her heart clenched at the sight of it.

"Ah... sorry, and this too, please," Elpis said, taking it off the hook and showing it to the girl. She paid for the necklace and slipped it on before scrutinizing her decision. It wasn't her style at all. At least, she didn't think so; she didn't buy enough jewelry for herself to really know what her style might be.

All she knew was that she had to have the necklace. It felt important.

A shadow fell over her and Elpis glanced up to see another Imperial airship looming over the city. Around her, people's voices became hushed and uncertain. Only when it passed did the previous clamor of the shop district pick up once more, but with an underlying tension. A radio on the girl's stall crackled, catching Elpis' attention.

"We are half an hour away from Lady Lunafreya delivering a historic address here in Altissia-"

Elpis paused. If the address were happening today, then Lunafreya intended to call upon Leviathan sooner than she'd thought. And she still had yet to meet up with Ardyn once more.

 _Alexus,_ she thought, _what are you planning?_

* * *

There were several reasons why Alexus avoided water of any kind. Besides the obvious.

Leviathan may have ruled the salt waters, but unfortunately, most of her spawn ruled the fresh waters of lakes and rivers. Alexus could barely throw a pebble into a pond without one of Leviathan's Messengers crawling out of the water to shriek at her. (The fact that they may have gleefully antagonized the Messengers for millennia had very little to do with it, in their opinion. Leviathan's Messengers had inherited her foul mood.)

They'd had their fire doused once before. It was not an experience they cared to repeat any time soon.

Alexus made their way to a damaged port that was closed while undergoing repairs. They stepped over the chains blocking the entrance with ease and whistled an old jaunty tune from the time ships were more prominently used throughout Eos. When they reached the end of the port, they looked over the edge as fish began swimming away from them in a panic.

They grinned. From the pocket of their jacket came several large stones. It wasn't necessary, considering the fish were already running to tell the one Messenger who stayed in the sea with Leviathan. But it was fun, and that was all Alexus cared about.

Picking the smallest of the group, Alexus threw it into the sea and watched with satisfaction as it landed with a hard plop. They waited a minute, then threw the next biggest, on and on until they reached the last rock, one the size of their hand. They drew back their arm and let it fly.

Where it immediately landed on the head of the Messenger they'd come to see.

"Oops," Alexus said lazily as the Messenger shrieked with fury. "Sorry, Marazha."

The Messenger hissed, showing off her rows of sharp fangs. In a blink she had swum up to where Alexus stood on the port and with long, webbed fingers, hauled herself up onto the wood. Her green scaled skin glistened in the midday sun, barnacles covering her torso in some strange imitation of human modesty though she had no breasts to speak of. The strangest feature on her was her long sea-foam green hair. Alexus had never quite figured out the purpose of that.

Marazha's green-blue ombre tail whacked against the wood angrily as her ice green eyes with black sclera narrowed at Alexus.

Humans had known her once as something called a mermaid. Leviathan sometimes took the form as well, but Marazha had been tossed from the waves in hers, and could not change shape as her mother could. Alexus pitied most Messengers who couldn't. They couldn't imagine ever having to stay in one form, one look, for eternity.

"And what," Marazha hissed in their coarse voice, "do you want?"

"Oh, you know," Alexus said, "just to say hi, check in on the family."

Marazha hissed again and swiped at Alexus' leg with her claws.

Alexus stepped out of the way. "Is that any way to greet a long lost family member, Mara?"

Marazha's eyes glittered dangerously. "Word has spread of what you have done of late, Wild Flame," she said. "Eos trembles with rage."

"Does she?" Alexus examined their red nails. "Good. Spare me the spiel, Marazha. I've come to tell you to tell your dear mother that the Heretic is here in Altissia."

Marazha tilted her head to the side. She studied Alexus for a long beat, clearly wondering what their game was. Finally she said, "You have brought her here when the Oracle readies to awaken my mother for the King. Why?"

Alexus grinned and raised their arms out to their sides. "Why not?"

"You play games still."

"Life gets boring when one person controls everything," Alexus said as they knelt down to eye-level with the mermaid. "Now, listen. The Heretic will be at the ceremony. I will make certain of it. Your mother will be hungry after sleeping for so long, won't she?"

Marazha jerked back in surprise, her gills fanning. "You mean to offer her as a sacrifice?"

"Sure do," Alexus said. "Let's call it a trade. She gives her life so that your mother doesn't drain any more of the Oracle's. Lunafreya can continue on her destiny to help the King, your mother gets a nice tasty human that she despises. The prophecy will be fulfilled, the Accursed and Heretic back in the beyond where they belong, everyone lives happily ever after."

For a minute, the only sounds were the calls of the seagulls that flew overhead and the gentle waves of the sea. At length Marazha said, "I want no part in this game you are playing, Azar."

Alexus shrugged. "Then don't. I thought I'd offer your mother first dibs. One way or another, the Heretic will have to die." They smiled. "And wouldn't it just _burn_ you if I were the one to kill her, getting all the credit, instead of your mother?"

She hissed again and began to push herself away from Alexus back towards the water. "Bring her to the Altar of my mother," Marazha said. "If you are lying, I will see to it that you are the one who dies this day." With that, she jumped back into the water and was gone.

"Pfft," Alexus said as they turned away. "Death. So boring. Don't they know that life is the true punishment?"

* * *

Alexus was going to kill her.

At some point after the address Lunafreya had delivered, the Altissian government had begun evacuating the city of civillians. Elpis had managed to avoid the soldiers and had made her way closer to the Altar. She didn't entirely know why, only that she couldn't go back to the hotel as Alexus had said. At some point during the day, the air had _changed_. Without knowing how, Elpis knew that Ardyn was in Altissia.

Yet she still couldn't get close to him. Even she knew better than to approach an Imperial guard and ask to be taken to the Chancellor, who wasn't even officially in Altissia, as far as she was aware.

 _I did not think this through,_ Elpis thought as she hid in an alleyway. What was it she expected to be able to do here save possibly be killed or arrested by the guards for ignoring the evacuation order?

Her train of thought was interrupted when a high voice began echoing throughout the air. Elpis only heard a snatch of it before the pain in her head suddenly grew excruciating. With a stifled gasp, Elpis fell to her knees and held her head.

It felt as if something were being torn apart inside her mind.

The song sank into her bones, familiar and terrifying all at once. Elpis realized with a jolt she must have sung it at some point in her past life. And whenever that had been, it had not left her with happy memories.

"What is going on?" she whispered as tears ran down her cheeks. Weakly, she fell to the paved stones of the alleyway. "Ardyn," she murmured, "please. Help me."

Her plea was lost to the sound of the Leviathan awakening with an earsplitting roar.

At some point, Elpis managed to stand back up. The roar of waves as they crashed into the city was overwhelming. At least the song had ended and her mind no longer felt as if it were trying to melt.

Elpis was beginning to think she'd made a terrible mistake. Something about being in a city under siege by an Astral probably lent credence to that thought.

"Look out!"

Elpis gasped as Alexus yanked her back, just as debris slammed into the building in front of them. They both turned and ran as an Imperial airship fell to the city. Only when they were far enough away did Alexus stop and glare at her.

"Why did you do the exact opposite of what I said?" they snapped. "If you're going to put yourself into danger, at least keep your head out of the clouds. A battleground is no place to be daydreaming."

"I wasn't," Elpis said weakly. "It's my head."

Frowning, Alexus put a hand against her forehead, as if they were checking for a fever. Elpis felt warmth sink into her skin and spread through her muscles. "The wall is cracking," they mumbled, turning away to survey the area.

"And where the hell have you been?" Elpis demanded. "Don't treat me like a child when you've been acting suspiciously the entire day."

Alexus visibly bit back a sigh. "I told you, I had an errand to run. It wasn't anything to do with you."

"I don't believe you."

She hadn't intended to say the words. They had merely slipped out. As soon as they were out, though, Elpis realized they were true.

Slowly, Alexus turned to her. "I know I'm asking a lot of you," they said slowly, "but I told you before, you can trust me."

Elpis shook her head. "I-I don't think I can. I think the only person I can trust is-"

Belatedly she realized she was gripping something in her palm. Elpis looked down and found she was holding the seashell necklace she had bought.

 _I think the only person I can trust is Ardyn._

Elpis was spared from having to finish when Leviathan's scream tore through the air. She covered her ears with a cry. When next she looked up, she saw Leviathan swing her head and hit the black speck Elpis had come to recognize as Noctis.

"Oh," Alexus said faintly. "The King..."

Elpis wasn't sure what came over her. One moment, she was worrying over Noctis, and how she was going to get through the day without dying. And then, as she saw Noctis fall and realized things were going horribly wrong, something simply snapped within her.

She was tired of standing aside and hoping she didn't get killed by an errant Astral or daemon. She was tired of being dragged along by the tides of destiny. She was tired of putting her faith in a Messenger she was no longer certain had her best interests at heart. All she had ever wanted was a quiet, uneventful life. The most excitement she'd thought she see in the coming years was Laelia's graduation and sending her to university. Now she might never see her sister again, and for what? To be killed standing by while others sacrificed themselves for the world?

What was the point of having mysterious powers, of being the reincarnation of an Oracle, if all she ever did was stay on the sidelines?

"We have to help," Elpis said, and then she ran, ignoring Alexus' shout behind her. A shadow fell over her, and she glanced up to see another airship falling from the sky. Elpis ran blindly, nearly losing her footing when the ship crashed behind her, the sound of tearing metal almost worse than Leviathan's screams.

She looked over her shoulder briefly. Alexus was nowhere to be seen. The airship had cut off the pathway between them.

At least, Elpis _hoped_ Alexus wasn't under the wreckage.

 _Deal with it later,_ Elpis told herself as she picked up the pace. The closer she got to the Altar of the Tidemother, the more she had to dodge debris - and Imperial soldiers. Elpis rounded a corner to avoid a group of them, nearly tripping on a white dog in her haste.

"Bloody hell," Elpis said, looking down at the dog. It stared back at her with an uncanny familiarity, then barked, turned, and ran. It looked back to make certain she was following. It was a testament to how much her life had changed that Elpis didn't even secondguess it: She followed the dog.

It lead her past the soldiers, down narrow pathways and numerous bridges, until Elpis came upon the Altar. She stopped, catching her breath, watching as Leviathan closed her maw around an airship and flung it towards the city. A woman in white stood on the platform, her dress torn and blood running from a gash in her shoulder, the Trident of the Oracle in her hand.

Briefly, Elpis saw another woman standing beside her, also in white with short blonde hair-but when she blinked, the woman was gone, and only Lunafreya remained.

Lunafreya, and an Imperial ship lowering itself near the platform.

Elpis brought out her stave, then stopped when she saw Ardyn emerge from the docking bay. Her heart jumped into her throat to see him once more. It took her a moment to realize something was... off, about him. He moved with a deadly calm, almost resolute. A far cry from the swaggering, devil-may-care attitude he'd had before.

She was running before she could think about it.

Before her, Ardyn knelt beside Lunafreya, who had fallen to her knees. He said something that Elpis could not hear, and she saw a glint of metal as he pulled his arm back-

" _No_!"

The dagger plunged into Lunafreya's abdomen. Her shocked, pained cry echoed across to Elpis.

Ardyn looked up and met Elpis' gaze. She saw nothing behind his eyes except cold indifference. Then, slowly, it changed to a quiet horror.

Above them, Leviathan also cast her terrible gaze down on the scene before her. When next she shrieked, Elpis heard words in her voice.

 _Forsaken wretch!_


	9. The Accursed and the Heretic

She was never meant to see any of this.

Ardyn could only watch as Elpis ran up the stairs, stave in hand. Something like recognition passed over Lunafreya's expression. When she was close enough, Elpis hesitated only momentarily before she drew back her stave and slammed it into the side of his head.

It didn't hurt. Really, in all fairness, Ardyn supposed he deserved it. The force of it made him stagger back away from Lunafreya as Elpis knelt beside her.

"My lady-"

Whatever Elpis would have said next was cut off as a burst of water crashed into her chest, throwing her away from the Oracle. Only then did Ardyn feel rage begin to course through his veins.

He began to turn to Leviathan, only for a hand on his wrist to stop him. Faintly puzzled, he watched as Lunafreya's healing light glowed from her hands. He felt nothing as her magic sank into his arm. She could use it for days, ages, and it would still never be enough to cast out the daemons inside him.

"I will pass the ring to the True King," Lunafreya said, her voice firm with an iron will-and her gaze horrifically pitying as she gazed at him. "And when the Prophecy is fulfilled, all those in thrall to darkness... shall know peace."

 _Peace,_ Ardyn thought. Gods, how he wanted peace.

The daemons, on the other hand, did not. Their voices clouded over everything else in his mind, and with a supernatural strength, he backhanded Lunafreya across the face with an inhuman snarl. Only when he managed to jerkily walk away from her did he realize what he'd done. Ardyn paused, staring at his hand.

His voice was flat when he finally spoke. "How sweet. But please, Lady Lunafreya," he said as he turned with a smile, "you first."

And then he left her for the only Oracle that mattered.

* * *

Elpis hacked up the water from her lungs, her chest burning. Her arm twinged from where she landed on it and when she tried to move it, she quickly found that was not a good idea. She cradled it to her chest as she got back to her knees and found her stave.

When she looked up, Ardyn was staring at her. He stepped forward jerkily, as if he weren't entirely in control of his own body. Lunafreya managed to prop herself up on her elbow, her loose hair flying into her face.

Ardyn rose a hand towards Elpis, then shook his head as it twitched. Somehow, Elpis knew he was fighting against something-something in his own mind.

"Ardyn," she said weakly. Behind him, Lunafreya had taken up her Trident once more and had bowed her head in prayer. Elpis had to keep Ardyn's attention from her. "I-I know you were a good man once. And that good man is still inside you somewhere."

He had stilled utterly, watching her like an animal watched something it wasn't certain was prey or predator. The look on his face was alien to her. Whatever was staring at her from behind his eyes was not human.

"I know how hard you must have fought," she continued, pulling herself to her feet. "How hard you must have fought for so long, all on your own. I understand why you would have given up. But please," Elpis said, voice cracking, "please, fight once more. Stop this. It is not too late, even now."

Ardyn tilted his head at her. His gaze focused on something below her face.

Elpis lifted a hand to her neck, finding the seashell necklace. A sudden thought formed in her head: _He gave this to me_.

In a quiet voice, Ardyn said, "Do you remember?"

She hesitated. "I..."

That hesitation was all it took. Ardyn's face twisted into a snarl, but before he could do anything, something flew up from the ocean and struck his side. Elpis caught a glimpse of a woman-shaped creature with a tail before she dragged Ardyn over the side of the Altar.

"No!" Elpis looked over the edge, even as she knew he was likely unhurt. Something grabbed her hair from behind and yanked hard, pulling her back, and Elpis came face to face with a woman with sharp teeth, reptilian eyes, and pale blue-green skin.

Leviathan stood in two places before her: In the water, and on the Altar. She was naked, her hair hanging limply down her shoulders, and she had human legs instead of a tail. Elpis knew it to be Leviathan all the same.

And the Astral glared at her with such hatred that she cringed.

"I had heard you walked the mortal realm once more," she hissed, pulling on Elpis' hair until her neck was exposed. Elpis had a brief image of Leviathan ripping her throat out. "You were cast from this world in punishment for your insolence and arrogance, your soul so impure with selfish need and carnal desire that you were unfit to hold the Trident. How is it you have returned?"

Elpis swallowed hard, the taste of seawater coating her tongue. "Honestly? Fucked if I know, you raging bitch."

Her stave struck Leviathan under her chin. With a pained shriek, she let go of Elpis' hair and staggered away.

Elpis held her stave out in front of her. Her grip was slippery from the water. "I never asked for any of this," she said. "I didn't want powers or a previous life where I apparently pissed you off in particular. But since I have them, what I want now are answers. I want my sister to be safe from all this. I want-"

She shook her head, laughing without humor. "I wanted to know why my soul was drawn to Ardyn, why looking at him made me so happy and so gods damned sad at the same time. That's all."

Leviathan stared hard at Elpis, red blood stark against her skin where it dribbled from her mouth. Lunafreya's attention flickered back and forth between Noctis and Elpis, a hand on the growing red stain on her white dress.

Then, terribly, Leviathan smiled. She stepped forward.

"I was promised your life in return for hers." Leviathan glanced back at Lunafreya, who appeared surprised by that news.

Not as surprised as Elpis was.

"What?" she said, stepping away. She had nowhere to go though. The edge of the Altar was right behind her.

"The one we call Wild Flame sought to sacrifice you to me," Leviathan said.

 _Alexus,_ Elpis immediately thought with a sickening drop of her heart.

"No," Lunafreya gasped, trying to stand. "Leviathan, do not-"

Leviathan appeared in front of Elpis suddenly, and before she could protect herself, Leviathan's claws sank into the skin of her cheeks. "Death is too kind," she hissed, rotting water carried on her breath. "You seek answers, Forsaken? Then answers I shall give you. I want you to suffer before you die."

Leviathan drew back a hand and plunged it into Elpis' chest. Saltwater filled her mouth and nose and lungs and her vision went white as the Astral ripped her mind apart.

* * *

Elpis' voice broke through the confusion of darkness and fury in Ardyn's mind.

Screaming. She was screaming in agony.

Shaking his head to try to clear it, Ardyn stood, spitting out saltwater. The Altar was lost in a bright beam of light, one he recognized in his soul.

Before him, a creature hissed. Ardyn recognized it as something of Leviathan - a Messenger, perhaps, or a child.

The creature bared several rows of sharp teeth at him as he stepped forward. Ardyn barely gave them a glance. The thing could rip out every muscle in his body-it would not stop him from getting to Elpis.

"I will not kill you, Accursed," the creature said. It held a trident in one webbed hand. "But I will if you interfere with the sacrifice."

Ardyn paused. "Sacrifice."

The creature grinned. "Your beloved has been promised to my mother. I will see to it that this comes to pass."

Ardyn's vision went black and he felt the Starscourge roil in his veins. With a growl, he leapt for the Messenger, taking hold of his scythe from his Armiger and bringing it down. It clashed against the creature's trident with a bone-rattling clang. It shrieked and threw him back with surprising strength.

He landed on his feet and looked up at the Altar. Elpis was still screaming. He had to go to her.

Which meant the Messenger had to die.

Ardyn took hold of a sword and warped behind the creature, who let out a surprised hiss. He rose his sword and aimed for the heart.

And yet. At the last second, he changed direction just barely, and ran the blade through the thing's shoulder. He brought the creature down and stabbed the sword in between two stones, keeping it upright through their shoulder.

It let out a horrifying, painful scream, mingling with Elpis'. Ardyn only barely managed to step out of the way of its thrashing tail.

He gave it no further thought.

Ardyn ran back up the stairs of the Altar. On the platform, Leviathan was long gone. Lunafreya held Noctis in her arms, her own golden light shining gently next to Elpis' blinding beam.

Ardyn paid them no mind. Let Noctis die here and now, his prophecy unfulfilled.

All that mattered was Elpis.

She clutched at her head, writhing against the stone. When he tried to approach, her light scorched his bare skin and the daemons screamed in terror. He cringed, backing away.

He was utterly useless. He couldn't help her, couldn't even begin to guess what Leviathan had done to her.

Then, steeling himself, Ardyn stepped forward once more. The daemons tried to keep him back, then faded from his mind as he let Elpis' light consume him. It didn't matter if it felt like his muscles were splitting themselves from his bones or his skin was peeling off. What mattered was Elpis.

He fell to his knees feet away from her and crawled as the Starscourge began to drip from his eyes, his nose, his mouth. As he reached her, he gripped her wrists first and brought her hands away from her head. She writhed against him, tears falling from her eyes where her blood vessels had broken.

And then, the light died suddenly, and Elpis fell silent. Her chest rose rapidly. Her fingers were bleeding where she had torn off her nails, grabbing at the stone of the Altar. But she was alive.

"El," Ardyn rasped. She gazed sightlessly up at the sky with her mismatched eyes. A small whimper escaped her when he gingerly picked her up, cradling her close. She felt frail and insignificant in his arms, terrifyingly human and all too easy to kill. "Elpis. Please."

Her eyelids fluttered, then her pupils dilated as she slowly turned her gaze to him. Silently, Elpis stared at him.

Then, putting a trembling hand on his cheek, she said, " _I remember you_."

* * *

Her mind felt raggedy, as if held together with thread. Her memories seemed to push against her skull, threatening to tear it all asunder. She was Elpis Maelen, eldest daughter to Drusa, High Priestess of the Izunia tribe. She sacrificed her future to leave her tribe in the hopes of saving her sister and the others afflicted with the Starscourge. She was the first Oracle, Bahamut's Chosen.

She was the Sun in Ardyn's story. She was the Forsaken.

But she was also Elpis Maialen, sister to Laelia, bartender and food deliverer. She secretly liked most of the pop music Laelia listened to. She would have given up her very life if it meant Laelia would be safe and live happily.

She could not reconcile the difference in her mind and it hurt, it hurt so much-

"El," Ardyn said, and it brought her back to the present. She was surprised to feel tears falling on her cheeks.

Her husband cried as he held her, pulling her close, close enough that she could feel the lack of a heartbeat in his chest, feel how cold his skin was. A dead thing still walking.

The Altar shook beneath them as one of the airships fired on Titan. She heard a growl emanate from within Ardyn's chest and could feel the Starscourge rising up in him.

"No," Elpis said gently, pulling his face back towards her. His skin was paling beneath her hand, Starscourge dripping down his cheeks, his eyes yellow.

Later, she would cry about how different he was from the man she knew.

Right now, she had to save him. And all of Altissia.

"Do not let the darkness take you, my love," Elpis said. "Stay with me."

Ardyn shook his head slightly, his eyes never leaving her. "It's too late for that."

"You're here with me," she said. "It is not too late." She placed a shaky hand on his chest where his silent heart lay. "Not even the Starscourge could consume you completely, Ardyn."

For once, Ardyn seemed speechless. Elpis smiled, then grew serious.

"The Oracle," she said, "and the King. They yet live?"

He paused before glancing over his shoulder. "I know not," he said after a moment.

"Help me stand," Elpis said, grabbing hold of her stave.

Ardyn gave her a familiar suspicious, worried look. "You're going to do something very foolish, aren't you?"

"Need you even ask?"

He looked ready to argue, then his expression shifted and he merely nodded. Carefully, Ardyn set her arm over his shoulder and brought her to her feet. Her legs felt ready to give out from beneath her. Elpis gritted her teeth and forced herself to put her weight on them.

How she found the strength to stand on her own, Elpis didn't know. She leaned on her stave, swaying once, twice, before finding her footing. Her gaze fell momentarily on Lunafreya and Noctis. Lunafreya's golden light was dwindling.

And yet, the Oracle still smiled when she saw Elpis. Beside her, Noctis was unconscious, and likely wouldn't wake for some time.

"You've already one foot in the beyond," Elpis said, sorrow lacing her tone. "I cannot help you. I am so sorry."

"Don't be," Lunafreya whispered. She turned her gaze to Noctis. "I have fulfilled my calling. The True King... will save our star. And until that... that time comes... you will carry the light in the darkness." Tears fell from her eyes, even as she smiled. And then she closed her eyes and was gone.

Elpis bowed her head, sparing one moment to show her respects.

"When this is over," she told Ardyn, "you and I are going to have a very long talk."

Ardyn gave her a somber look that she returned for a beat. Then Elpis gripped her stave harder and kicked off her sneakers. Her foot did not sink into the sea when she stepped out onto the cool water; instead, she merely walked upon it.

"Archaean," she called to the Titan, who turned his gaze on her. "I will take things from here. The King will be safe, I promise you that."

The Astral stared at her for a long moment that was broken when another airship fired upon him. With a growl, he stepped away from Elpis.

 _Do what you must,_ he said. _I never wanted you to suffer, Chosen._

Elpis merely gave him an impassive look. The sentiment could not erase millennia of suffering, and she felt no need to forgive him. She had more pressing matters to attend to.

Titan faded, and Elpis took his place. She held her stave in front of her face, closed her eyes, and woke the power that rested inside her. Light burst from her, a beam growing in size, until it pushed away the airships. Some crashed into each other and fell into the sea; others were flung out into the city. All of them were thrown away from the Altar and away from the King.

Elpis reined her light back in, looking out as the sun disappeared below the horizon. Then she slowly turned back to the Altar and met Ardyn's reverent gaze.

"Ardyn," she whispered.

He hesitantly held out a hand to her, as if he feared she would reject it. Elpis managed a small smile and went to reach for him.

She saw a flash of green before she felt the pain. A gasp escaped her as she staggered over the water, hand going to the handle of the trident that had impaled her. A creature that looked like Leviathan shrieked triumphantly from atop the Altar.

Then her stave fell from her hand and her knees gave out and she sank into the water. The last Elpis heard was Ardyn's terrified shout.

* * *

He had not felt a fury like this in decades. Not since he first stepped foot in Insomnia. It felt as if his heart had rent itself apart the second he saw Elpis struck down, and Ardyn could not hold back the daemons in their rage.

He didn't wish to.

 _It killed her,_ the daemons whispered, howled, raged in his head. _Kill everything. Consume. Devour. Kill it, kill it._

With a growl emanating from deep in his chest, Ardyn turned to the Messenger. It gave him a mockery of a grin. Ardyn felt his mouth open far wider than a human's should, and let out an earsplitting, inhuman scream that tore through the air. The shadows carried him to the sea creature in a blink and, with wild, furious abandon, Ardyn let the daemons go.

It was easier to let them take control. Then he didn't have to think about the trident impaling her.

 _Yes, they cried. Kill it, kill it, make it suffer._

Ardyn didn't know how much time passed while his body wrecked vengeance upon the Messenger. He only knew that he almost ran the beast through with his sword when it screamed at him and disappeared in the space between two breaths. Without anything to hit, the momentum of his swing brought him to his knees in the direction of the water.

 _El,_ Ardyn thought underneath the roar of the daemons. _Forgive me. I failed you once again. I failed to protect you._

The sound of slapping water and something being dragged across stone made him pause. Ardyn looked towards the sea to find a Messenger dragging Elpis back onto land by the back of her dress. It stumbled before letting go of her with a pitiful whine. It licked at her face like she were a kitten.

"Elpis," Ardyn managed to rasp out, the words feeling unnatural in his daemonized mouth. Haltingly, he stepped towards her, and the closer he got, the more the daemons receded until he knew himself to be back under control.

He had almost reached Elpis when the coeurl let out a furious yowl as it was dragged away from Elpis' body by the sea creature from before. It had a hold on the coeurl's ankle and, with a hiss, flung it out to the sea before disappearing back beneath the waves.

Ardyn paid it no more mind. If the Messengers died, then they died.

He fell to his knees beside Elpis, a hand hovering over her neck in utter dread before he dared press a finger to her skin. Her pulse was so faint that at first he couldn't find it and panic began to set in, but then he felt it flutter underneath his fingertips. There wasn't much time left. Grabbing hold of the trident, Ardyn pulled it free in one smooth movement, wincing as the wounds began to bleed more freely. He threw it out to the ocean and gently placed a hand on Elpis' torso.

Frowning, he watched as the blood continued to flow. She should have been healing. Her body healed itself, didn't it? She'd never said as much, but Ardyn knew she could.

When it became apparent that the wounds were not going to close on their own, the panic set in.

"No," Ardyn said. "Not again. Please, anything but this again."

He'd failed her again. And he'd just gotten her back.

Biting back tears, Ardyn shook his head. There had to be something he could do. After a moment's hesitation, he set his other hand upon her, then stopped. What, exactly, did he think he could do? He hadn't healed anything in two millennia. That part of him was long dead, stripped away by the Astrals just as easily as Bahamut had bestowed it.

In the back of his mind, the daemons stirred. Perhaps, Ardyn thought, he didn't need the Astral's blessing in this. The question was, did he dare?

Of course he did. For Elpis, he would dare anything, so long as she lived.

 _If you harm her,_ Ardyn told the daemons, _it will be your end._ He would kill himself and find some way to chain himself to the beyond so they could never return to the mortal realm if they hurt her.

 _Never harm,_ the daemons whispered back, _never, want her, want her._

With that less than reassuring thought lingering in his head, Ardyn let the daemons slip into Elpis' body.


	10. Nothing Else Matters

Lay here, my love

You're the only shape I'll pray to

\- Jezebel by Iron & Wine

* * *

In her dreams, Elpis danced in the sun.

She knew it had to be a dream because she was dancing well. In reality, goats moved more gracefully than she did. Charis-no, Laelia-no, Charis-would cry from laughter every time she danced. Her mother could move like a snake, so fluid and light on her feet. Charis took after her.

In her dream, she danced in the sun, in the desert, her tribe watching. And Ardyn danced with her. Of course he could move well. He may not have known her tribe's dances, but that wouldn't have mattered to him. He would have danced like a fool and not cared one bit, so long as he could dance with her.

If things had been different, if they had been allowed to live out their lives, Elpis would have one day taught their daughter to dance. In her dream, she danced with Ardyn, then Aurea, who laughed so loudly and brightly that Elpis could burst from happiness and love.

Ardyn pulled her close and kissed her temple, then her mouth, earning them an "Ewww!" from the tribe's children.

And then, when she opened her eyes from the kiss, Elpis was in Insomnia. Ardyn slept in a bed beside her, his hair dark black-brown, not magenta, and his face lined but content. She heard the pounding of little feet on a wood floor before their bedroom door was thrown open and three children came running in. One was Aurea; Elpis felt her heart constrict as she saw the other two were twin boys. They had Ardyn's smile.

As the children leapt into the bed and collided with their parents, waking Ardyn up, Elpis looked away and saw herself standing in the room. Or rather, two versions of herself. The one she'd been, the wayward daughter chosen by Bahamut, and the one she was, the lost child who'd prayed to be found by someone.

"So," her present form said, hands in the pockets of her yellow jacket. "That whole thing could have gone better."

Her past life nodded slightly. She was older, her face beginning to show the signs of aging. A stray curl of hair managed to poke out from underneath her yellow headscarf. In both of her lives, she had not lost her love of bright colors. Her dress was red and orange and green and blue, all flowing together instead of clashing.

"Alexus had not lied when they'd said it should have been a process."

Elpis frowned. Ardyn and her children had disappeared. Now it was only her and her two lives. "What does that mean?"

"It means that right now, we're in a coma," present-Elpis said, tapping a finger to her head.

"Our mind was ripped apart," past-Elpis said. "The two halves need to meet and become one."

"Okay," Elpis said, "great. How exactly do I do that?"

"Well, for one, you should probably get out of bed," present-Elpis said with a small smile.

"I..." Elpis paused, thinking of how real the dream felt. She'd felt Ardyn's heat beside her, the weight of his body against the mattress. She'd felt the bruises her children had left when they'd collided with her. "And if I stayed here? If I stayed here in this dream, with Ardyn, with our children?"

"Then Ardyn dies," past-Elpis said flatly. "And Noctis with him, and countless others who will fall to the Starscourge."

"You could stay here, sure," present-Elpis said with a shrug. "But she's right. Ardyn will die."

"Isn't that what he wants?" Elpis asked. "He wants peace."

"Only because we were no longer in the world," past-Elpis said. "He is a man without an anchor. If we were to live again... and if he had a chance to once more live with us..."

"He'd take it," present-Elpis finished.

Elpis shook her head and turned away from herselves. "I-I don't know," she said. "How can I save him? He's so far gone. He wants revenge so badly, I don't think I can save him."

Beneath her feet, a large crack suddenly appeared in the darkness of her mind. It glowed red and slowly began separating. Elpis tried to step back, only to almost fall into it.

"You can't doubt yourself," past-Elpis said harshly. "Though I know you do, because I did as well. You always felt like a failure, didn't you? Whenever you couldn't live up to your mother's expectations, when you made the wrong decision and it hurt your people. When you failed to save Ardyn the first time."

"Whenever you forgot Laelia's lunch, or her medication," present-Elpis said. "When, no matter how hard you worked, there never seemed to be enough gil. When another boyfriend broke up with you because you held yourself back for reasons you couldn't understand."

Elpis put her hands to her ears. "Please stop."

"But you're also the woman who helped bring back the sun, for a time," past-Elpis said as she pulled Elpis' hands from her ears. "You're the woman who sacrificed her future so that her sister could have one."

"Twice," present-Elpis said. She kicked a rock down the crack. "You love people so fiercely that you would give up your very life for them without question. Your love can reduce mountains to rubble, change the very shape of the world. Of destiny itself."

Elpis lowered her hands slowly. "I..."

Present-Elpis shared a look with past-Elpis. "Ardyn should have given her this speech."

Past-Elpis nodded. "Alas, it has to be us, and we've never been very good at convincing ourselves we're important." Then she turned to Elpis and smiled slightly. "You remember now, though, don't you? You're Ardyn's destiny. He told you that, and he was right. And he is yours."

"And it can still be true," present-Elpis said. "You just have to... accept it. Accept that you can free so many. You can set things to right once more. That you could be happy one day."

Elpis swallowed hard, thinking of her sisters, of her mothers, of Alexus, of everyone she had ever cared for and loved. She thought of Ardyn, both how she'd known him before, and how she knew him now. As the People's Savior, the Great Healer of Solheim, the man who cared so deeply for people that he'd been willing to give his own life for them, but not hers. How she had loved his dark brown hair, his blue eyes, the smile he reserved solely for her. How he alone could make her laugh and forget her burdens.

She thought of the man he'd become, twisted by two millennia alone in the dark with only the daemons for company. Of his magenta hair, and yellow eyes, the cruel, taunting, condescending smirk on his face. How, even as mangled as his soul was, he still treated her as if she were the most precious thing in the universe. He'd still been able to make her laugh. He'd looked at her like a man whose prayers had been answered too late. She thought of how his very being craved release, either in the form of his death or the death of Eos itself.

Most of all, Elpis thought of how much she wanted to hold him again.

The crack beneath her feet stopped widening. Both of her selves looked at her expectantly.

"Well?" present-Elpis urged. "What's it gonna be?"

"Do you accept your path?" past-Elpis asked.

Elpis took a deep breath. She knew she would not be able to turn back after this.

And she knew that she would not want to. Not when Ardyn waited for her at the end of the road.

"I accept."

The two parts of her disappeared, and the crack slammed back together with a bright light.

* * *

Elpis opened her eyes to daylight. It took her a moment to realize what was different: Her head no longer hurt. The rest of her did, but her mind was blessedly painfree.

She laid in a blindingly bright, white room. The bed was stiff underneath her back. Gradually she became aware of an incessant beeping to her side and came to find a heart rate machine beside her bed.

 _Ah,_ she thought. _A hospital._

Her gaze meandered around the rest of the room. Draped across the back of a chair was her yellow jacket. Elpis paused as she saw the white wing on the back and let out a quiet, short laugh.

One wing. Ardyn wore a black wing guard. She had been leaving clues for herself all her life without even realizing it. If only she'd had the necessary knowledge to understand their message and how it would lead her back to Ardyn.

She stilled. Ardyn. In a flash, everything that happened came back to her: Leviathan, the protections in her mind being torn apart, being stabbed with a trident and falling into the sea. What had happened after that? What had happened to Ardyn?

Elpis tried to sit up, then gasped as her midsection radiated pain. Carefully, she pulled back the covers and looked down at herself. Her torso was bandaged, which was unusual, but Elpis could feel no stitches underneath the padding.

"Oh," a familiar voice said. "You're awake!"

Stella approached her side with a bright smile. "Oh, thank goodness. The Chancellor was so worried."

Elpis tried to lick her lips and found that her mouth was as dry as the Niflheim desert. "Ardyn-where-"

"No, you need to rest," Stella said sternly. "Just stay right here and I'll have the Chancellor down here in a minute."

Elpis waited until Stella turned her back and walked to the opposite wall before she began pulling all the various wires and needles out of her body.

"Sir," Stella said into an intercom, "she's awa-hey!"

Elpis ran for the door, nearly tripping over the bloody heart rate machine in her haste. She all but slammed into the hospital bay door and slipped through it as soon as she could fit through the opening.

 _Ardyn. I need to see him. Please, where are you-_

As if she had summoned him with her thoughts, Ardyn stood at the end of the empty corridor.

For a moment, all they could do was stare at each other. Millennia of history weighed on them both for that brief moment, keeping them stuck in their respective places.

Then Ardyn was all but running towards her, saying, "You're awake- _why are you out of bed_ -"

Elpis ignored him as she stumbled her way over to him. She flung her arms around his shoulders just as she lost her footing and all but fell into his arms, which came around her tightly enough to hold her up.

" _Ardyn_ ," Elpis gasped, and then she was crying, burying her face into his chest as she gripped desperately at his vest, and dimly she was aware of him sinking to his knees as he held her.

Ardyn pressed his face into her hair and let out a shuddering breath. He clung to her like a man lost at sea would hold on to a piece of driftwood.

How long they stayed that way, Elpis didn't know, nor did she care. It was a drop in the ocean compared to the time they'd lost. Only once her tears had stopped did Elpis pulled her face away from Ardyn's shirt and gaze up at him.

Ardyn returned her gaze for only a moment before looking away as if he were ashamed. "A part of me hoped you'd never remember," he said quietly, "so you wouldn't have to face me as I am now."

Gently, Elpis put a hand to his cheek and brought his face back towards her. "I'm not made of glass," she said. "I can face you as you are now without shattering, Ardyn. I don't fear you."

If anything, her heart broke more for him. Yet she couldn't deny that she also loved this Ardyn, with his wild, strange hair and his eyes that were both familiar and unfamiliar to her. It wasn't a matter of being a worse version of him-it was only different.

Just as she was different. They were both people out of place, out of their own time, and thus had crafted two different personalities for both. She was both the wayward daughter of the past and the lost child of the current age. Ardyn was both the betrayed king, the healer who had brought back the sun, and the man who sought to scorch Eos pure.

Elpis knew she should be disappointed in herself, but Ardyn's actions did not dampen her love of him. And she had no wish to think of those things now.

All that mattered was that Ardyn was, once again, in her arms. For a while, that would be enough.

"Ahem," Stella said.

"Ah," Ardyn said with a polite smile directed at the doctor. "Do forgive us, Doctor. As it seems the lady is well enough, I shall take her to a passenger room where she can rest."

Stella eyed him suspiciously. "I can't exactly order you not to, can I?"

"Not at all."

She threw up her hands in exasperation. "Fine! Let the patient who was comatose for three days out of the hospital bay!"

"I'll be fine, Doctor," Elpis said. "Please. Let me go with him."

Stella's expression softened as she huffed out another irritable sigh. "I really shouldn't, but... all right." Shaking her head, the doctor went back into the hospital bay, the doors closing behind her.

"You really shouldn't have gotten out of bed," Ardyn said. He picked her up like the bride she'd never gotten the chance to be. She could feel his muscles move underneath his clothes and melted against him. Rather than feeling small and insignificant in his arms, Elpis felt like something precious, something that needed to be protected and cared for. After having to look after herself for so long, not just in this life but in her past as well, Elpis was all too happy to let Ardyn be the one to protect her.

He took her to his bedroom and gingerly set her down on his soft bed. After lifting the blankets so that they covered her legs, he admitted, "I allowed the daemons to heal what they could. I didn't let them linger." His discomfort was a palpable thing.

Elpis put a hand to her middle again. She couldn't feel the stain of their presence. "Thank you," she said sincerely.

He stood and looked as if he made to sit down elsewhere from her, then stopped when Elpis immediately took hold of his wrist.

"No, please," she said. "Lie with me. I want you near. I can't-I can't stand not to have you close right now."

His expression was tense and fearful, but he relented all the same and came to join her on the bed. Elpis clung to him and pressed every part of herself against his body. It was only when she felt the cold underneath his layers of clothes and the lack of a heartbeat did she look up at him.

"You can't really feel me," she whispered, "can you?"

Ardyn sighed and nuzzled her hair. "I feel pressure where we meet," he said, "but I cannot feel your warmth. Only extreme pain makes it through the fog."

Elpis ran her fingertips along his collarbone. Once upon a time, doing so had made him shiver and chuckle. Now he merely stared her with a forlorn expression.

"But," she said, "the emotions are still there. Aren't they?"

"Yes," Ardyn said. "Though sometimes I can close them off by giving them to the daemons. If you doubt that my feelings for you have somehow changed-"

Elpis shook her head, then stopped when Ardyn put a hand on it and gave her a stern look. She'd forgotten that he could get overprotective of her when she was injured. He acted as if he had to make up for lost time, since no one else had ever indulged her or allowed her to be weak. It probably should have annoyed her.

She loved every second of it.

"No, silly man," Elpis said. Then she hesitatingly added, "Though if there were someone else now…"

She trailed off with a small frown while Ardyn rose an eyebrow. "Would you be jealous?"

Elpis squirmed. "Perhaps a little. But if you'd found someone to be with after all these long years, I'd understand. I wouldn't begrudge you any happiness."

Ardyn slowly grinned and her heart jumped into her throat. It wasn't the condescending, taunting smirk he'd been wearing when they'd first met and through their first days together. It was the smile he'd reserved solely for her, when he let his public mask slip and allowed her a glance behind the face he wore for everyone else. It was also just a little smug.

Gods, she'd _missed_ that smile.

"Ah, love," Ardyn sighed as he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. "How could I be satisfied with anyone else? I wasn't merely being poetic when I called you the Sun. You shine so brightly that you eclipse everyone else. No, El, it's only ever been you. I neither need nor want any other."

He kissed her, and though Elpis knew he couldn't feel her the way he once had, she brought a hand to his hair and tangled her fingers in it as she returned the kiss. For one bright, shining moment, Ardyn was all there was.

 _This_ was what had been missing all her life. This was the person she sometimes caught herself searching for, the part of her soul that had been ripped from her. She had been longing for Ardyn her entire life without ever having been able to put that longing into words. Now that she knew who she'd been missing, it seemed incredulous to her that she could have ever forgotten him.

Elpis pulled away when her body began to flush and she felt a familiar ache take up in between her thighs. Breathing heavily, she pressed her forehead to Ardyn's. "We shouldn't torture each other this way," she mumbled.

"Mmph," Ardyn said as he kissed her cheek, her jaw, then the soft, tender skin of her neck. His hand trailed down her side until he reached the hem of her hospital gown. When his fingers snuck underneath the fabric to touch her bare skin, Elpis shivered.

"Ardyn," she said, torn between wanting to encourage him and wanting to put a stop to it. "I don't want to unless you can, too…"

He pulled away from her neck and gazed up at her, his yellow eyes shining with lust. Clearly, his emotions _were_ perfectly fine.

At length he said, "The daemons don't have any concept of sex or procreation in that manner." He paused, then winced. "They're confused by what I'm doing. So, no, my body cannot commit those acts. But, El..."

Gently, he rolled her onto her back and got to his knees on the floor next to the bed. He pulled the blankets from her bare legs and settled them on his shoulders, kissing the inside of her thigh. Elpis' breath hitched as Ardyn met her gaze.

"I don't need to be inside you in order to worship you," he said as his fingers hooked themselves into the hem of her knickers. "Only say the word and I'll stop."

There were so many reasons why she should have refused. They had too much to do. There was too much to talk about. The prophecy was closing in on them fast.

As Ardyn kissed her thigh again, though, and Elpis found her eyes closing and her body relaxing, she decided everything outside the four walls of his bedroom could wait. _Just this once,_ Elpis told herself, _let yourself be irresponsible, and foolish, and selfish._

The rest of the world could wait.

Her fingers tangled themselves in his hair once more and she could feel him grin against her skin as she breathed, "Please."

"As my goddess commands."

* * *

Later, when Elpis' body was heavy with the relaxation that came with sex, she brushed some of Ardyn's hair out of his face and said, "We need to have that talk."

Ardyn winced almost imperceptibly. His lips were still darkly wet from his ministrations on her and it took every ounce of willpower Elpis possessed not to kiss him and lose herself all over again. He gazed up at the ceiling with yellow eyes, and she caught a flicker of fear in them.

"Ardyn," she said as she turned his face towards hers. "I will not turn my back on you now. I've seen the worst of you and I still choose to remain by your side."

He watched her tensely. "But?"

She smirked and decided to try to lighten the mood. "Well, yours is still fantastic, so-"

"El. Please."

The note of desperation in his tone made her stop. As Ardyn gazed at her, Elpis recalled Laelia's words to her:

" _He looks at you like you're the answer to the prayers that he didn't even know he was making."_

All these years, and Ardyn had never stopped praying. Even if he said he had. Would she be able to answer them now?

Sighing, Elpis stroked his cheek with her thumb, watching as his eyes fluttered closed and he nuzzled her palm. There was something animalistic about him now. The daemons had left their mark on him in more ways than just his hair and his eyes.

"Once, a very long time ago," she said, falling into a storyteller's cadence, "a brave and righteous warrior accused a woman of the desert of having no faith. He was not entirely wrong. This woman had no faith in the Astrals, nor in destiny. But she was capable of faith."

Elpis pressed her forehead to Ardyn's, breathing with him. "Once, long ago, there was a healer who could cure humanity of the Starscourge. He was blessed by the Astrals and was loved by the Sun. He was the Sun's light in the neverending darkness that was the Long Night. The desert woman was his Sun. And she had faith in him."

She pulled away to find Ardyn clinging to her once again, his fingers digging into her skin. "Though I hate what you've done of late, I understand why you did it. And I forgive you."

His breath hitched in his throat. "El," Ardyn said, his voice breaking. "Gods, El. Why?"

"Because I have never lost faith in you, Ardyn Lucis Caelum. Ardyn Izunia." Elpis kissed his forehead. "Whatever name you call yourself, whatever names the Astrals give you in their hatred, there is only one thing I will ever call you: My husband."

Slowly, Ardyn shook his head. "Elpis..."

She pressed a finger to his lips and gave him a somewhat stern look. "My forgiveness is not enough. You cannot continue on the path you've been on, Ardyn."

He pulled away from her hand, brow creasing in confusion. "The prophecy-"

"The prophecy, in the words of a friend of mine, can get fucked," Elpis said simply. She smiled at his taken aback expression. "Do you have faith in me, husband?"

"Always," Ardyn said without hesitation. "That has never changed."

She kissed him briefly before saying, "Then have faith in yourself as well," she said. "Step off the path you've been following for too long and help me end destiny."

There was a long stretch of silence before Ardyn pulled away from her and sat up. Elpis tried not to show how worried she truly was. What if the daemons had too much of a hold on him? What if there truly was no outwitting destiny?

Finally, Ardyn said, "I've been alive for so long, El. I am more tired than I have ever been."

Elpis sat up and pressed against his back, holding him. "If it is what you wish," she said, trying to keep her voice even as her heart broke, "I will let you pass into the beyond at the end of this journey. And... and if you wish to continue with the prophecy, then I cannot stop you."

Ardyn did not immediately answer. Elpis felt the tears welling up in her eyes before his hands found hers and she let out a soft gasp.

"The daemons want me to say no," he said quietly. "They want me to turn you. They want you to be a Queen of the darkened world."

Mildly, Elpis said, "That's very nice of them, but I've no interest in being a Queen of anything."

That finally earned her a soft chuckle. Ardyn brought one of her hands up to his face and kissed her palm, then the tips of her fingers, before saying, "I have no hope for myself. I haven't in two millennia. I'd forgotten what it even felt like."

He turned to face her once more and brought her in for a soft kiss. When he pulled away, he said, "You have hope enough for both of us, El. I had forgotten that. If you still have faith in me, then perhaps I am not as damned as I believed, even with all the blood on my hands. And if, at the end of this trial, there is a possibility that you and I can live the lives we were meant to have... I will do everything in my power to see it happen."

Joy, pure and bright, rushed through her. Elpis threw her arms around Ardyn's shoulders and hugged him tightly, burying her face into his neck once more.

They could do this. They could change their fates and the fates of everyone in Eos. They could change the world.

If not, then Elpis had to content herself with knowing that they had tried. And that Ardyn would one day join her in the beyond.

* * *

Alexus, whose true name was Azar, the Wild Flame, was dead.

Again.

"Motherfucker," Alexus growled. If there were any rocks in the part of the beyond they were in, they would have kicked one. Instead, there was only the ever present glow of stars past the blue aura. If Alexus wanted any rocks to kick, they'd have to fully pass into the beyond.

Sighing, Alexus ran a hand through their red hair. They couldn't deny it had always been a possibility they would die. They'd begun this journey with just that knowledge in mind, fully aware of the risks they were taking. One did not go against Eos without painting a target on one's back. And Alexus had been very, very bad.

"I hope Marazha gets caught and turned into someone's supper," Alexus muttered as they stuck their hands into the pockets of their leather jacket.

"It is not her fault you took on more than you could handle," a withered voice said.

"Aw, no," Alexus groaned.

They turned to face one of their siblings, or cousins, or whatever one should call a fellow Messenger. The creature-because Alexus couldn't find a nicer word for what this particular Messenger was-had no proper face. Where her eyes should have been instead rested a helmet, leaving only her skeletal nose and mouth visible.

What she lacked in facial eyes, however, she more than made up for with the numerous eyes on her white wings. They were all red, and they all glared at Alexus judgmentally. There were six on each wing, resting on the main bone. Her long black hair flowed prettily in the strange land of limbo they were in. In one hand she held a scythe, and her nails were longer than Alexus' own claws.

There weren't many Messengers Alexus was afraid of, but the one before them now scared the shit out of them.

"Nice to see you too, Senka."

Ramuh's Messenger, Senka, Guardian of the Gate, did not looked amused. "You committed a great evil, dragging a soul from my realm and granting it life once more."

"Eh," Alexus said with a shrug. "I was running out of sins to try. I figured, hey, why not bring back a long forsaken Oracle and see what happens? Anyway, you got a good kick in. Thanks to that cut you put on her soul with your stupid scythe, she lost all her memories of her previous life."

Alexus crossed their arms over their chest. "Memories I needed her to have, I'll thank you to know. But whatever. Leviathan took care of that."

"You may try to make light of it all you wish," Senka said in her whispery voice, "but Eos wishes you dead for it, Azar."

"Hey!" Alexus said brightly. "At least someone got what they wanted out of today's events."

All twelve of Senka's wing-eyes looked at them impassively. Alexus wished she could pluck each one out and eat them.

"Okay, yeah, I'm in pretty deep shit. I can admit that," Alexus said. "Good thing I don't intend to pay for it."

Senka tilted her head. "You have only ever made it past me twice," she said. "You dare not try again."

Grinning, Alexus let their claws and fangs grow. They'd already taken on one Messenger and died, but Marazha had cheated.

"Hell yeah, I dare," Alexus said. "I've got an Oracle waiting for me and I don't intend to let her down."

* * *

NOTES: And so Elpis and Ardyn are reunited at last.

I've added another allusion to Loki and Sigyn in this chapter. In Elpis' coma dream, she sees two boys who have Ardyn's smile. In Norse mythology, Loki and Sigyn have two sons named Narvi and Vali. Unfortunately, they pay the price for Loki's deeds: Vali is turned into a wolf and is set upon his brother Narvi. He kills Narvi, and Narvi's guts are used to create the bindings that tie Loki in place in the Cave.

That won't happen here, obviously. But I wanted to create another reference to my favorite mythological couple, so now Ardyn and Elpis would have had twin boys, had they been allowed to live peacefully.

Oh, also, Elpis is in a coma for three days. Jesus was dead for three days before rising. Just in case that was too subtle.

Updates may be slow from here on out. There's a lot of real life stuff going on that I won't get into here, but it may keep me from being able to update as often as I normally do. I'll try to keep to a schedule, but if I miss a day, I hope you'll forgive me.

Thanks for reading this far, y'all. We've still got a ways to go.


	11. Trust in A Dream

Turn me into someone like you  
Find a place that we can go to  
Run away and take me with you  
Don't let go I need your rescue - Save Me by Muse

* * *

 _"It is time, child."_

 _Elpis paused in her observation of the chains that held her husband in his prison and turned towards the sound of the whisper-thin voice. She managed to quell her first reaction at the sight of the thing before her, but only just. It had eyes on its wings and limbs that were too long, like a spider's. It carried a scythe in one hand._

 _And next to it stood Bahamut in his human aspect. His wings were folded against his back in the small space._

 _He regarded her impassively. Elpis returned his stare with a cool one of her own. For a moment, she entertained the thought of seeing Bahamut cast in chains and made to hang from the walls for two millennia. Then again, two millennia was likely merely a few minutes to beings like the Astrals. It was a satisfying mental image, nonetheless._

 _Elpis' gaze slid over to the other being. She didn't know it by name, but she could guess what they were there for, and she had only one answer for them:_

 _"No."_

 _The Messenger cocked its head to the side and said nothing. It took Elpis a second to realize it was waiting for Bahamut to do something._

 _Bahamut approached slowly, his blue eyes cold in the dim light of the cell. "You have been too long on this star already," he said. "And your duty is fulfilled. The Accursed-"_

 _"_ Do not call him that _."_

 _The Draconian paused briefly before continuing, "The Accursed is free from the chains you destroyed. You have let an unspeakable evil wander Eos once more."_

 _Elpis smiled thinly. "And yet you never tried to stop me before now. Because you needed him to become your villain, did you not? You think it is his_ destiny _." She sneered at the word before turning her back on the two divine beings. "My duty is not done. It has merely changed. I will not go into the Beyond, not while Ardyn still lives. We will go together or not at all."_

 _"You are an unnatural creature," the Messenger whispered._

 _"No," Elpis said sharply. "You tried to make me into something, 'tis true. An Oracle for a King. And for a time, I played along. But I am an Oracle no longer, thanks to you. There is one thing you cannot take away from me: My love for Ardyn. That is who and what I am. That is who I choose to be. And I choose to stay by his side. There is nothing more natural than what I feel for him."_

 _Her voice broke and she hated herself for it, for showing weakness in front of the two Astrals. "If I cannot change the prophecy, I can at least see him through it. I can at least be there to greet him on the other side and hold his hand into the Beyond. Don't you dare try to take this from me as well."_

 _She spun around suddenly, feeling the tears on her cheeks. How could a spirit still cry? She didn't know and didn't care. "You've taken everything already! My husband, my children, my life. Leave me this one thing."_

 _If she'd thought her emotional appeal would work, she was wrong. The two divine beings stared at her without emotion. They couldn't comprehend human emotions. Or, perhaps, they didn't simply care about hers._

 _Whatever the reason, Bahamut nodded once to the creature beside him, who lifted its scythe and approached Elpis. She tried to scramble away, but found the walls solid and unyielding to her touch. They had not been so before. She could have left any time she wished, but had stayed with Ardyn for two millennia. Bahamut must have been keeping her confined._

 _The Messenger lifted its scythe as Elpis tried to push past the stone. "_ No _!"_

 _"Well, well," a new voice drawled. A person with long bright red hair and luminescent green eyes lounged on some stones. Their skin was a light brown, and their smile was somehow both lazy and all too sharp. "This is all a little melodramatic, isn't it?"_

 _The look on Bahamut's face could have frozen lava. "You are not needed here, Wild Flame. Leave."_

 _"Nah," they said, hopping to their feet with a feline grace. "See, I like this little Oracle. She's got a fire in her, y'know? I always thought that was weird, since she was Chosen by you and her birth is ruled by Titan. But it's there, and not even death could put it out. That's interesting. To me, anyway."_

 _Elpis eyed the newcomer, then looked to the Messenger. Its attention was on the other person. From the twist in its mouth, Elpis could guess neither the Astral nor the Messenger had any warm feelings towards the redheaded person. Frankly, Elpis didn't care who or what they were. Carefully, she began to edge away from the Messenger's blade. Maybe if Bahamut was distracted enough, she could break through the barriers._

 _"Ah ah," the redhead said as they appeared beside her suddenly. They grinned and grabbed her chin, lifting her face up towards theirs. "Don't leave just yet, little bird. I'm not done."_

 _Elpis recoiled, pulling her face out of their grasp. That had been something only Ardyn was ever allowed to do. He had loved to tilt her face up just so before kissing her._

 _The Messenger that Bahamut had brought gave a shrill cry that went like a dagger through Elpis' head. She covered her ears with a cry. The redheaded looked unimpressed and, with a yawn, waved a hand. A wall of fire sprang up between them and the other two beings, and soon Elpis couldn't see past the flames. Only darkness lay beyond._

 _"It won't hold dear Uncle Baha for long," they said, "but we don't need long to do what we need to do. So, hey. What's up. You can call me Alexus."_

 _Elpis spit in their face._

 _Instead of being angry, they laughed. "See! This is what I meant. You have something of my father in you." Alexus peered at her face. "Though you're not a child of his. Pity. I could use a sister I actually like."_

 _"Whatever it is you want, I will not give it."_

 _Alexus raised a brow. "Oh, but I'm here to help. I don't want you to go into the Beyond either. In fact, I want to do the reverse."_

 _Elpis paused. "What... do you mean?"_

 _"Death is boring," Alexus said. "And there's so much left for you to do. Tell me, little bird, how do you feel about saving the world? Ah, no," they said suddenly, noting how Elpis' expression darkened. "No, you've already done that, and look where it's gotten you. I understand. In that case, how do you feel about saving your husband?"_

 _Elpis could only stare. She was starting to get an idea of what this Messenger might mean. The question was, did she even dare to hope? Alexus put her in mind of the wildfires that would break out in the summer months in the desert. As a child, Elpis used to go up onto the tallest hill and watch the far-off flames from her vantage point. The smoke had climbed so high into the sky she thought it must have been able to touch the other stars._

 _One year, her entire tribe had had to fight against the flames to protect their campsite. It had been a long, hard battle, but they had survived. Charis had been young when it had happened and had come away with a fear of fire._

 _"Fire is not evil," their mother, Drusa, had told them one night. "It is not good, either. It merely is, like everything else in the world. You cannot blame it for burning when that is what it was made to do. It is our light in the darkness, our warmth against the cold, the weapon against hunger."_

 _She had run her fingers through Charis' hair and smiled softly, a rare thing for her. Elpis could only remember her mother smiling in such a way a handful of times. "And think of this: Without the wildfire, there could be no new growth. The old and dead brush would strangle whatever new life tried to take hold. Wildfire destroys in order to create. It is chaos in that way, and chaos is merely another word for change."_

 _When she'd told Ardyn of that, he had smiled and said, "Your mother is wise in that regard. You take after her."_

 _She had loved him fiercely in that moment. He'd always known how much she'd wanted to be just like her mother: a strong, capable leader. But he had not wanted her to be so. He'd wanted her to be herself, always. And she was herself, with him. She was imperfect, maybe not as strong as her mother, maybe not as willing to blindly follow old rules and traditions. She had failed her family, but she had not failed in Ardyn's eyes._

 _Elpis shook her head to clear her thoughts. "I don't-"_

 _Something slammed against the fire and Elpis cringed. Alexus rolled their eyes. "Ugh, this is why I never hang out with family." They turned to Elpis. Their expression turned serious. "Listen to me. I can give you life once more. Trust me, because I mean you no harm. I want you to be reunited with your husband. I want you to defy destiny."_

 _"I-" Elpis shook her head again, more vehemently this time. "I can't trust you. I trusted in divinity before and it ruined everything."_

 _Alexus nodded. "So you did. But ask yourself this: If I truly meant you harm, do you think Bahamut and Senka would be trying so hard to get you away from me now?"_

 _Another slam against the fire proved their point._

 _"Why would you do this? Why would you do this now?"_

 _Alexus stared for a long beat before leaning in close and kissing her forehead. "Because once, you saved me," they said softly. "And I have loved you for it ever since. Let me save you this time, Elpis Maelen."_

 _She was so taken aback that she didn't immediately notice that Alexus had not answered her second question. Nor did they have time, for then, Senka's scythe cut through the fire. It wavered, trying to build itself up once more._

 _"You must choose, Elpis," Alexus said firmly. "Do you choose life and fighting once more for those you love, or do you choose death, not only for yourself, but the man you love more than the world itself?"_

 _It wasn't a hard choice at all, once it was put like that._

 _"Do it," Elpis said. "I choose life."_

 _Alexus grinned and reached for her just as Senka's scythe once more cut through the flames and connected with Elpis' head. She screamed, putting a hand to her right eye, and then realized she felt no pain._

 _Instead, she felt an unraveling of herself, as a piece of thread is pulled from fabric to destroy an embroidery pattern. The first to go was her mother, her sister, her tribe. Then Solheim and everyone in it. Somnus, her life blood on his blade, went after._

 _And last, though she tried to hold on as tightly as she could, went Ardyn. Elpis fell into the dark as his smile faded from her memory and she knew nothing else._

* * *

It was easy to say one could set aside vengeance and hatred for a new life. It was harder to actually do so.

For two thousand years, Ardyn had had nothing else. In the utter blackness of his prison, with only the daemons and their demented visions to keep him company, Ardyn had let his anger and hatred fester. He imagined Somnus getting to live everything he and Elpis should've had: Marriage, children, waking up next to each other every morning and being the last person the other saw before they fell asleep. Somnus could have kept the throne for all Ardyn cared.

He had only ever wanted Elpis. He'd only wanted a cure for the Starscourge.

With every passing moment, his anger had grown, and the daemons had encouraged it. Logically, Ardyn knew they tormented him because even as infected and corrupted as he was, he still fought them. He would not give control of his body, of his soul, over so willingly. They'd wanted to break him.

It took them nearly the entire two thousand years before they succeeded. They had used a vision of Elpis to do it.

Ardyn watched Elpis sleep, her face content and peaceful. He wondered how she could set aside her anger and still fight for the world. He wondered how she could still fight for him, even after everything. Then again, that had always been Elpis' nature; even in absolute darkness, she could set the world ablaze with her hope and desire for justice.

He had always been the weaker of them both.

Elpis made a small sound in her sleep and shifted, moving closer to him. Ardyn set an arm around her waist and kissed the top of her head, inhaling the scent of soap and shampoo from the shower she'd taken earlier. She no longer smelled like seawater, a fact for which they were both grateful.

His fingers slid up underneath his shirt that she was wearing. It was nearly a dress on her. He'd forgotten how much taller he was than she. He'd forgotten so much over the millennia.

The smoothness of Elpis' skin gave way to a hard line between her shoulder blades. The daemons in his mind shifted with fury, but Ardyn paid them no mind as his fingers traced the scar Somnus had left when he killed her. It was an ugly thing, a reminder of a time he wished had never happened.

No, vengeance was not so easily set aside.

"What future do you see for us, El?" Ardyn whispered against her hair. "I see one for you. A bright future, after the Starscourge is gone, after I am gone. You will have a husband who was never a monster. You will have children who will be free of the Astrals. You will have your sister. I cannot see it for myself. All I see is darkness."

She'd said she wanted to end destiny, but that required a fight that Ardyn wasn't sure he had the strength for. He had been all too willing to let the prophecy play out as it should because, in the end, he had wanted the peace that only death could bring. He was over two thousand years old, physically stuck at the age he'd been when he was executed. Emotionally, he felt older than even Eos itself. Next to Elpis' vibrancy, he was a dark shadow indeed.

 _But what if,_ Ardyn mused, _she could do the impossible and banish the daemons without killing me?_

Ardyn tried to imagine it. A life free of the shadows that haunted his mind and his every waking step. To once again be the man that Elpis had loved so dearly, the compassionate man who gladly took the daemons into his own body to save people, the man who had loved his brother instead of seeking to destroy everything he had ever created. To be human again. Would he be able to give Elpis the life she deserved?

If she were awake, she'd frown at him and say he was being stupid, because the life she chose was better than the one he thought she deserved. The one he imagined for her did not have him in it. Elpis would never accept that. She had defied the grip of Death itself to once again be with him.

"I am not worth this," Ardyn murmured as he closed his eyes and pulled her closer to him. Elpis shifted once again before settling. He sighed as he felt the dawn arrive. He had his window blocked to keep the sun out, but nonetheless, he knew when the morning came once again. It was a subtle shift in the air that only a daemon could feel. Soon, Elpis would wake, and he would have to take the first step on a journey that terrified him.

Hadn't he told her once that it was easy to hurt people, and that the true challenge was to be kind and gentle in a world full of pain and misery? Ardyn was ashamed that he had let himself break so easily and turned himself into a monster for the Astrals' prophecy.

For a time, the only sounds were of his and Elpis' breathing. He'd forgotten how calming it had been to simply lie with her and breathe with her. If he were still capable of sleeping, it would have lulled him into it quickly.

Elpis woke far too fast for his liking. She was running herself ragged, and had even argued against resting again after her shower. Ardyn had prevailed in the end. Her breathing quickened and he felt her body tense momentarily before she remembered where she was. She let out a quiet sigh and melted against him, burying her face into his chest.

"Good morning," Ardyn said quietly.

"Mmmph," Elpis replied, causing him to smile. She pulled away to yawn, then gazed up at him with eyes that were still heavy with sleep. This close, Ardyn could see that her yellow eye had flecks of brown and gold in it. He still wasn't quite used to seeing the color on her.

Elpis' brow furrowed. Before he could ask what was wrong, she pressed a finger to the place between his eyebrows. "What are you thinking about that's causing such a heavy line here, husband?"

His heart would have skipped a beat if it could. Husband. They'd never had a chance to marry, but to Elpis, that didn't matter. For all intents and purposes, he was her husband, and she was his wife. Simply because they'd never had a ceremony declaring as much did not change that fact.

(Would he ever get to see her in a wedding gown? Ardyn found himself desperately wishing so.)

Instead of deflecting, Ardyn decided to be honest. "I was thinking of the future," he said. "And how easily you can see one where I cannot."

Elpis' frown deepened. He immediately wished he hadn't said anything. He hated causing her to frown.

"I must admit," she said softly, "that from where I stand right now, the future is murky. I do not know everything this will entail, and that makes me nervous. I know that Alexus has a plan."

The Messenger. Ardyn wondered briefly if they had survived Altissia. Likely not, or else they would have already come to find Elpis. With their death, was everything doomed to failure?

Elpis put a hand on his cheek. "I also know that my fears can't control me. Not when there's so much riding on what I must do. A part of me doesn't care what happens to the world so long as you live. Another part-I suppose the part that has grown up all over again in this time-does care, and cares deeply. I want there to be a world for Laelia to live in. I want all the death and despair to stop."

Ardyn smiled sadly for her and ran a hand through her soft hair. "There's my girl," he said. "Always carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders."

"Maybe so," she said, "but at least you will be there waiting for me when I set it down."

Ardyn kissed her briefly. "Not just then," he said against her lips, "I will help you carry it."

Elpis kissed him hungrily, and his shirt exposed her thighs in a way that would have done things to him if his body could still properly, physically respond. She had been embarrassed the night before over her plain white knickers-apparently they were not fit for his eyes-but Ardyn had quickly reassured her that, as little as she'd be wearing them when he was done with her, she had no need to feel embarrassed. They could have been an old pair full of holes and falling apart and he still would have found her gorgeous in them.

"Okay," Elpis breathed when they parted. "Okay, no, I can't let myself get distracted again. I've wasted too much time already. Who knows where the Prince may be now?"

"In Tenebrae," Ardyn answered immediately. Elpis paused, raising an eyebrow at him. He shrugged nonchalantly. "Of course I'm having them followed, El. How else could I mysteriously turn up at all the right times?"

She tried to hide her smile and failed. Shaking her head, Elpis stood and stretched while Ardyn watched the muscles under her skin move in appreciation. When she returned from the bathroom from getting ready, he had laid out new clothes for her to wear. She would have to make do with her old black jeans and shoes, but he found a shirt that hopefully wouldn't swallow her whole.

Elpis got dressed and looked at herself in the mirror as she fussed with the black shirt. Noting Ardyn's frown in the reflection, she said, "Is something wrong?"

"Mm," he said, toying with the hem of the shirt. "I dislike seeing you in black."

She rolled up the sleeves and pinned them in place, then put on her jacket. The splash of yellow was a welcome relief against the constant black. Why had he chosen to continue wearing it after all this time? Ardyn could not remember his reasons now, years later.

"It was the color of your House, was it not?" Elpis asked, studying herself in the mirror. She met his gaze. "I want to wear your colors. I am not ashamed to be claimed by you."

Ardyn swallowed thickly. He was torn between extreme emotion at her declaration and wishing he could push her up against the wall to show his appreciation. Finally, he settled on, "I'd rather wear your colors one day."

She laughed. "Oh, darling," she said, placing a hand on his cheek once again. "I love you, but you'd look _terrible_ in yellow."

He joined her in her laughter and pulled her close for another kiss. When they broke apart, Elpis glanced once more at the mirror and frowned. She pulled at the end of the braid she'd put her hair in.

"What's wrong?" he asked, finding nothing to disapprove of on her person. Then again, he wouldn't.

"Ah..." she hesitated, then said, "do you have something I could wear on my hair?"

Realization followed a moment later. Ardyn thought for a second before picking up his red and orange scarf. He handed it to her almost shyly, something he hadn't been in millennia. She brought out the softest sides of him. "Is this long enough?"

Elpis smiled, and it was like the sun rising after the darkest, longest night. She took it from him and, after some playing around with it, managed to get it into a similar style that she had worn when they'd first met. Ardyn drank her in. She looked so different in his clothes, and wearing a scarf over her hair in a way no one else in Eos did. She looked out of place.

So had he, ever since he'd been dragged from the prison. It didn't matter if they didn't fit in with the rest of the world; they fit together, and that was all he cared about.

"Where will you go?" Ardyn asked, though he had an idea.

"To speak with Noctis," Elpis said.

His hackles rose as he imagined Noctis anywhere near Elpis. "I'll go with you-"

"Ardyn," she said, placing a hand on his chest. "I know you are immortal now, but I have no wish to see you get killed. That is exactly what would happen if you were to meet with Noctis right now. You just killed Lunafreya; he will not take to you kindly."

"Is this meant to dissuade me from accompanying you? Because it's doing the opposite, El."

Sighing affectionately, Elpis stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. "That's why I must go alone. I need to make certain he won't kill you when next you two meet. I need him to see a different future."

Ardyn tilted his head as he considered her. "A future that will lack his bride. You would be asking him to ally with you in order to save me, and he will not do such a thing."

"Maybe not," Elpis agreed. "I have to try, nonetheless. If he disagrees, it changes nothing. I will save you, Ardyn. The darkness cannot have you."

The ferocity of her voice left no room for doubt. He let out a shallow chuckle and ran a hand down his face. "Only you would still carry hope for one such as I."

"I will always pray for you." Elpis kissed his palm and smiled up at him.

For two thousand years, Ardyn had not felt anything beside despair, anger, hatred, and a need for vengeance. They had been his constant companions.

Now, in Elpis' light, he felt something he had long forgotten: Love. Bright, burning, consuming love.

And a fear that he could lose it all over again to a boy who looked like Somnus.

"Take a weapon with you, at least," Ardyn said. "I'm sorry that I didn't remember to bring your stave with us from Altissia."

Elpis seemed to consider it momentarily before shaking her head. "If I go with a weapon, they won't trust me. Please, Ardyn, trust that I know what I'm doing. I will not let myself get hurt." She smirked. "Besides, they're babies. We would have eaten them alive in my tribe. I don't need a weapon in order to fight them."

He didn't like it, but he could see the logic behind her decision. Moreover, Ardyn knew that in this, she would not budge. He might be able to get her to change her mind eventually, but that was time they didn't have.

Sighing, Ardyn nodded. He looked towards the window. "And what role do you see for me in this new plot?"

"The Emperor of Niflheim," Elpis said, and Ardyn looked at her in stark surprise. She met his gaze levelly. "May I presume that you've infected him and were waiting to turn him?"

"Ah... yes." Ardyn felt no guilt for Iedolaus' fate. The man would have fallen to his own greed for glory in one way or another. Ardyn had simply sped fate along.

No, he felt no guilt for Iedolaus. But he was beginning to feel some remorse for Lunafreya. Even if it had been necessary for the prophecy to be fulfilled.

He gave Elpis a dubious look. "Do you wish for me to spare him?"

"No," she said with a shake of her head. To his shock, Elpis said, "I want you to kill him."

Ardyn waited for the punchline. When it didn't come, he said, "Are you... certain?"

Elpis sighed. "I wish I didn't have to ask this of you," she said. "I wasn't lying when I said I'm tired of death. But there has always been something rotten in the Emperor; you merely took advantage of that fact. If he survives whatever comes next, he will never give up his lust for the Crystal and for absolute power over all of Eos. If he lives, everyone else will be in danger."

Ardyn considered this before nodding. Iedolaus would die before he let go of his desire to be the True King. "He has heirs," he pointed out.

"Stay your blade from them," Elpis said firmly. "Perhaps it's a mistake, but I would see blood shed from no other but the Emperor. We will deal with his heirs once this madness with the Crystal and Eos is finished."

She seemed so certain of their future. She seemed so certain that _he_ would be her future.

Ardyn tried to cast aside his doubt. He would place his faith in Elpis. All others had turned their backs on him save her. He would not reward her constancy with his fears and self-doubt.

He pulled her into another kiss, this one longer, lingering. He did it more for her than himself, as he could not feel anything save pressure against his skin. When they broke apart, Ardyn pressed his forehead to hers. "For two thousand years, I thought I would only ever see you again in the Beyond, if I should be so lucky as to die. This... has been more than I could have ever dared hope for. Please forgive me for fearing that it may be all we ever have."

Elpis placed a steadying hand on his still heart. "I understand," she whispered. "But I will not allow it to be. I refuse to accept anything less than both of us living the lives we should have lived two thousand years ago. I refuse to let Eos play out this twisted story."

He smiled. "I love you, wife."

Elpis blinked in surprise, then grinned broadly as tears shone in her eyes. She rubbed at them with a quick laugh. "No more crying. And no more stalling. I have to go."

"Then go," Ardyn said, taking her hand in his and placing a kiss upon it, as if they still lived in the time when men did that with regularity. He held on as she walked away, both of them staring at each other, until finally his hand fell from hers. Elpis bit her lip, then turned away and let the bedroom door open for her. Then she was gone.

Ardyn closed his eyes and tried to dislodge the heaviness in his chest with a sigh. He didn't immediately recognize it as anxiety. He set a hand upon the place where Elpis had touched him just moments before, wondering.

"I feel almost human again, El," he said to himself. The daemons hissed in his mind. "You make me feel human."

And then, he smiled.


	12. Lingering Shadows

How did one approach the True King of Eos and convince him to ally with the man who'd killed his fiance and quite possibly doomed the world?

Elpis could almost hear Alexus say, "You don't." Unfortunately, that wasn't an option.

Thanks to Ardyn's tracking of them, Elpis knew which train they had gotten on. She'd bought a ticket for a different car on the same ride and used the time to try and strategize her approach. She'd deliberately made herself as non-threatening as possible, but the fact of the matter was, she knew they'd see her as an enemy.

And frankly, if her plan failed, maybe she would become their enemy.

Outside the train car's window, Elpis watched the desert pass by. It was different from the desert of modern-day Lucis, the one she had been born in. This continent's desert was more sand than dry rock and golden ground. The leaves on the trees were yellow instead of green. Still, there was a familiar dry heat in the air that made Elpis' heart ache. She longed to merely lie down in the sand and let the sun warm her skin.

Perhaps one day, she could. Today wouldn't be that day.

Without thinking, Elpis reached into her pocket for the phone that she no longer had. Coming up empty handed, she sighed. She should have asked Ardyn for one before leaving the airship. Though now that she thought on it, he didn't have one, either. The thought caused her to smile slightly. He was something of an old man in some ways.

Then again, Elpis was something of an old woman, if she were being entirely fair. They both should have been past their middle ages. Hell, they both should have long since been dust.

Still, she resolved to buy them new phones when she got the chance. And to call Laelia as soon as she thought it safe.

Ahead, the door connecting to the next car in the train opened, and a familiar bulk lumbered through. Elpis kept her expression calm even as a spike of fear went through her.

Gladiolus, the Prince's Shield, had just entered her car.

Casually, Elpis took a sip of her drink and turned her face towards the window. In all her thoughts of how this might go, one of Noctis' friends finding her had not played into any of them. She wasn't ready. She still needed time to figure out her words-

A shadow fell over her. Elpis sighed internally.

"If it isn't the woman from Lestallum."

"Fantastic," she muttered to herself as she set her cup down. She was torn between wishing Alexus were with her and hoping they stayed away. The back up would have been nice, but more often than not, Alexus was the reason Elpis needed back up in the first place.

She managed a tight smile to Gladiolus. "And if it isn't the Shield."

Gladiolus crossed his arms over his chest and regarded her with cool distrust. "Funny that you should be on the same train as us. Almost like you're following us. Reminds me of a certain Chancellor."

 _This is off to a great start,_ Elpis thought.

"Okay, yes, I'll admit to following you," Elpis said bluntly. "But I mean no harm. If I did, I would have already done so."

"Yeah, you're gonna have to excuse me if I don't really buy it."

She couldn't stop from rolling her eyes. Elpis slid out of her booth and stood, facing Gladiolus. He towered over her, but she wasn't put off by that. She had been dealing with men twice her size all her life, and all of them had ended up on the ground in one way or another.

For all her faults, Elpis' mother had not taught her daughter to cower before mountains or Gods. Elpis had been taught to consider herself their equal and demand to be treated as such.

"I wish to speak with Prince Noctis," Elpis said, keeping her voice down. The Prince and his friends had distinctive looks, so she wasn't entirely sure they were trying to keep low profiles, but it was better not to draw extra attention where it wasn't wanted.

Gladiolus looked amused by her request. "Not gonna happen. You're still an _unknown entity_ , remember? And now you're wearing something of the Chancellor's."

Elpis paused. "In fairness to me," she said, "he wears so many patterns at one time, I didn't think you'd be able to recognize one when it was by itself."

That earned her a slight smirk. Maybe he was warming up to her?

He closed some of the distance between them. "You're getting off at the next stop."

Or maybe not.

"Listen to me," Elpis said, "I need to speak to Noctis. There's so much more going on than what he realizes. I know of a way to defeat the daemons."

Her voice lowered again but did not lose its urgency. "I want nothing more than to stop the darkness. Soon, the nights will be growing longer, far sooner than they should at this time of year. In only a short while, daylight won't exist at all. It's happened before and it will happen again if you don't listen to me."

Gladiolus considered her for a long, drawn out moment, and Elpis feared she would have to use force to convince him. Something in her expression must have convinced him, though, for he finally frowned and lowered his arms.

"Try anything and you answer to me."

 _That's not much of a threat,_ Elpis thought. She smiled politely and said, "Of course."

He led her through several cars before she finally caught sight of Noctis' hair. Ignis noticed her first; she could see his shoulders tense from where she was standing. Noctis noticed as well and followed his gaze, his expression darkening when he saw her.

Elpis found herself wishing Prompto were with them. At least he had usually been rather friendly.

"What the hell is she doing here?" Noctis asked when they had reached his booth.

"Says she wants to help," Gladiolus said, and his tone belied his doubt in that theory.

Elpis bowed her head respectfully. "I'm glad to see you all made it out of Altissia unharmed," she said.

It was the wrong thing to say. Noctis glared at her. "Except for Luna. Thanks to-"

"Ardyn. Yes, I know," Elpis said. "I assure you I make no excuses for his actions. What he's done is wrong, and I won't argue that. I will say there's a larger story you don't know about that... at least sheds some light on how we came to this point."

Noctis stood suddenly and was on her. "I don't care about his story! If I ever see that bastard again, I'm going to kill him."

Elpis stayed her ground. "You can do that," she said calmly, "but as he's immortal, it wouldn't do you much good."

That took some of the wind out of his sails. Noctis pulled back slightly, blinking in surprise. Ignis put a hand on his shoulder to keep him from throwing himself back into the fray he craved.

"There's a different cadence to your voice," Ignis noted as he looked Elpis over. "And a difference in your bearing. Clearly, something has happened since Lestallum."

"I'm... not entirely sure if I should be flattered or creeped out, but honestly, if it gets you to listen to what I have to say, I'll take it."

Ignis looked to Noctis, whose body language said he was not in the mood to listen. "We should hear her out, Noct," he said quietly. "I understand your anger, but she is not the right target for it."

Noctis took a deep breath and looked away, struggling with something unseen, before he nodded. "Yeah."

It was the best she was going to get, so Elpis accepted it gracefully. At that moment, the train door opened and a familiar, skinny blond-haired boy ran in.

"Guys! Have you looked out-uh," Prompto said, coming to a sudden stop before them. He looked between Noctis and Elpis uncertainly. "Er... hi?"

Elpis smiled. "Hello. I take it you were about to point out the strange weather?"

Prompto looked uneasy. "You can't read minds, can you?"

"No, thankfully." She tilted her head down until she could see out the window while the others followed her lead. Nearby, the sand gave way to snow, and low clouds hung over the land. Even here, Elpis could begin to feel a slight chill in the air. "We're coming to where the Empire killed Shiva. Her body still rests here and exudes her magic over the land. Forgive me, I assumed you knew what you were stepping into, and that you were coming to forge a covenant with the Glacian."

"Wait," Prompto said, "if her body is, uh, dead, then how is it all snowy out there? And if she's dead, how can Noct make a covenant with her?"

Elpis sat in the booth Noctis and Ignis had been in before she arrived. The boys exchanged looks before Ignis and Noctis sat opposite her, Gladiolus remained standing, and Prompto sat on a chair on the opposite of the aisle.

"They only killed an aspect of her," Elpis said, studying the clouds. "That was her true Astral form. She lost a good measure of her power when it died, but there exists other versions of her."

She turned her attention to Noctis. "You've met her already, in fact."

Noctis seemed surprised to learn this. "I-have?"

"Lunafreya's companion, Gentiana," Elpis said. "She's Shiva's human aspect. All the Astrals have human forms they can wear if they wish to move about Eos unseen. Shiva has merely been kept in that form since she died."

Gladiolus seemed to accept her explanation without much fuss, which she appreciated. He moved on to another point. "Speaking of Astrals, where's your friend?"

The look on her face must have explained some of it, because Ignis said, "Ah. My apologies for your loss."

Elpis shook her head. "I don't know for certain that they're dead. Ardyn-ah... he told me that they were dragged away by a Messenger of Leviathan's after pulling me out of the sea in Altissia." She paused again. "But I suppose they must be, since they haven't joined back up with me."

"And... your sister," Prompto said, and Elpis found it sweet that he remembered. "Is she okay?"

"Safe in Lestallum, still."

"You said you were in Altissia," Noctis said, his voice tight. "Why? If you were there, why didn't you help Luna? Or-"

She can see him finish the thought without saying it: _Did you help Ardyn kill her?_

Elpis sighed and glanced around the car. It was mostly empty. "I was in Altissia, yes," she said. "And I was there to meet Ardyn, it's true. But I had nothing to do with Lady Lunafreya's death. I would have stopped it, had I known."

Noctis clenched his jaw and looked away out the window, as if he couldn't stand to look at her. Honestly, she couldn't entirely blame him.

"You said you had a story to tell," Ignis said. His tone was mostly neutral, and he seemed to be reserving judgment on her until he knew the entire picture. She could respect him for that. "I suggest you tell it."

"Well," Elpis said slowly, "then I need to start at the very beginning-"

She felt the shift in the air before it became apparent. Everything around her fell silent and the light in the cabin darkened as if clouds had blocked the sun. She risked a look outside the window and saw that they were no longer moving, but frozen in place, the land outside the window blurred from paused movement.

"What the hell?" Noctis said, standing. His friends were under whatever spell had befallen the rest of the cabin. He turned to her, narrowing his eyes. "What's going on? What did you do?"

Elpis' voice was tense when she answered. "I'm not the one doing this."

"Aren't you?"

The familiar voice caused Elpis to spin on her heel. Ardyn stood at the end of the cabin, leaning against the door as if he had not a care in the world. He met her gaze and gave her a slow smirk as he came to stand straight.

"I must thank you for keeping the boy company for me, Elpis."

Elpis heard Noctis growl behind her and summon his weapon. Before he could so much as move, though, Elpis was running towards Ardyn. He didn't move, and his expression registered only a brief second of surprise before she kicked his head. His body flew to the side and hit the window, cracking it, and black blood ran from his forehead.

"How dare you!" Elpis said. "Whoever you are, lose his form right now. Did you truly think you could fool me?"

The thing with Ardyn's shape looked at her in confusion. "El-"

"Enough of this," Noctis yelled, and Elpis saw his blade come down on the fake Ardyn. Black blood stained the walls and floor, dotting the window, and Ardyn let out a pathetic groan. Then, before Noctis could bring his sword down again, he was gone. Noctis cursed before turning his blade on Elpis.

Suddenly, all she saw was Somnus. Fear lurched in her heart as she stepped back. Elpis raised her trembling hands and felt Somnus' blade run through her heart once more, felt herself fall to the floor of Ardyn's prison, felt her life end to the sound of Ardyn's anguished, furious screams.

"Your Highness," Elpis said, a quiver in her voice, "please. That wasn't Ardyn. I don't know-"

"Shut up!" Noctis held his sword up to her, but didn't seem to want to actually use it on her. She didn't want to try her luck, though. The last time she had, she'd ended up dead. "What sick game are you two playing? Isn't it enough that you killed Luna? Why can't you just leave me the hell alone?"

The train lurched with a horrible, shrill cry of metal grinding on metal. Elpis lost her footing with a shout and landed hard, her head hitting the edge of a booth. Stars exploded in her vision even as she tried to regain her footing as the train came to sudden, stomach-flipping stop. She was halfway down the car before Noctis saw that she was running.

She wasn't the only one. The door opened to people running in the opposite direction, crying with alarm and fear. Some of them were bleeding. Elpis heard Noctis' friends exclaim before she slammed the door shut behind her and made for the next car.

"I had to be the bigger person and come without any weapons or armor," Elpis muttered. "What a bloody idiot."

She opened the door of the next car and ran right into a firm body. Elpis gasped as Ardyn's hands clasped on her arms and held her in place. He grinned down at her, no love in his expression.

"Elpis," he purred. "Still trying to win the boy's trust? It'll take much more than our sad story to do so."

Her skin crawled where he touched her. Elpis tried to pull away, only to find that whatever this thing was, its strength was more than she could shake off. "Who are you?"

The false Ardyn pulled her close. "Have you hurt your head again? It's me."

Elpis spit in its face. "You lie," she snarled. "Whatever you are, you are not Ardyn. I know that man's soul. You can look exactly like him and still you will never be able to fool me."

He tilted his head, a curious expression on his face. "Do you truly know me so well?"

Suddenly, the false Ardyn threw her away from him hard. Her back smashed into a window and she felt shards cut into her skin. Elpis gasped and fell to the floor, her feet sliding on pieces of glass. Ardyn grabbed her face, his fingers digging into her muscles painfully.

"All that hope that I could be a better man," the creature tsked, shaking its head. "And for what? Because you still believe in a fairytale ending? You're old enough now to know such things don't exist. Especially not for the villains."

Then, horrifyingly, the creature wearing Ardyn's form leaned forward and licked the blood dripping down her face. Almost as if it were _claiming_ her. Elpis reared back as far as she could and kicked the thing square in the chest, its nails tearing her cheeks as it fell away.

"Okay, first of all: Ew." Elpis gagged as she pulled herself back up to her feet. The scent of decaying earth and dead things lingered at the back of her throat. "Second of all, fuck you. I am sick and tired of being told that I'm stupid for daring to want better for myself and the people I love."

Ardyn smiled at her. "If you were so powerful, why not come back to life sooner? Why not save me from the prison yourself instead of letting the Empire take me? You could have saved everyone so much grief, El. You could have saved me. Instead, you let me linger and rot in the darkness, and I lost faith in you. You left me in a world without the sun. Everything that has happened since then has been your fault."

Elpis stared. All she could do was stare, it seemed, until the fury igniting in her chest finally took hold.

"Excuse me?" she asked, her tone deceptively quiet and calm. She felt... dangerous. She had passed anger and found herself instead in some place of complete and utter wrath. But it did not show itself as a gnashing of teeth or wildly flailing limbs. Elpis felt still, and in that stillness, she found deadliness.

"None of this is my fault," Elpis said, enunciating each word. "How dare you to try to lay the blame for the world's sorrows at my feet, when the one to blame is you, Eos."

Ardyn blinked, then snarled and lunged for her. Elpis brought up the large shard of glass she'd picked up on the floor and drove it into Ardyn's neck, cringing even as she knew this was not her Ardyn. This was not the man for whom she'd defied death.

The facade fell away and, in its place, a daemon writhed in agony underneath the glass shard. It pulled away from her and clawed at its neck, then disappeared in a pool of black. Elpis tried to catch her breath, only to be flung forward as an explosion tore away the wall of the train behind her. Debris struck her back and stunned her.

She heard a door open, hurried footsteps following. Elpis managed to get herself to her knees and wiped away the blood on her face.

"Whoa." Prompto nearly slipped on some of the debris as Noctis stood by, then caught himself and came to kneel next to Elpis. "You okay?"

"I'll live," Elpis said without much humor. She leaned against the wall to pull herself up to her feet and caught Noctis' glare. "You can blame me later, Your Highness, but right now you need to save the passengers. What's happening?"

"The Empire is attacking the train," Prompto said.

"They must have found out we were on board," Noctis said, pinning Elpis with a look that said he knew who to blame for that.

"If you believe nothing else of me, Noctis, believe that I wouldn't put innocent people in harm's way. And I would never, ever work for the Empire," Elpis said. "Where are Ignis and Gladiolus?"

Prompto aimed his gun out the opening and fired at an MT that was climbing aboard. "They're checking on the engine," he said. "Trying to get us running again so we can lose these guys."

A sudden array of gunshots sent all three of them to the floor, covering their heads. Elpis looked to Noctis. "You handle the re-enforcements in the sky and I'll handle the ones on the ground."

"Like hell I will-"

Noctis let out a pained yell as an MT found them and shot at him. Elpis could see a red line appear on his arm before he turned and threw his sword at the MT. The soldier crumpled to its knees, electricity sparking from its core, and Elpis had only a moment to throw up her shield before it exploded. The force reverberated against the light she'd let loose.

Elpis gave Noctis a dry look. "You're welcome."

"There are way too many of them," Prompto said, daring a peek outside, "and-ohhhhh boy. They've brought out the big guns!"

"I don't wanna find out what that means," Elpis said.

Suddenly, the speakers crackled with a high cry of frequency, then cleared as the notes of an old song played over them.

 _Forget the hearse, 'cause I'll never die_

 _I got nine lives, cat's eyes_

 _Abusing every one of them and running wild_

Noctis and Prompto looked to Elpis as she let out a shaky laugh. "Oh, you're joking," she managed.

Fire swept past the opening to the train and the MTS were consumed. Then it landed on top of the tanks Prompto had mentioned and, with a wild roar, enveloped the machinery in flames until it exploded. A bright flame jumped away from the explosion and came to land on the edge of the opening, just as the train began moving again. The fire took shape of a person and Alexus grinned at them, long red hair blowing in the wind.

"Miss me, kids?"

* * *

Bellona Aldercapt, daughter of Imperator Iedolas, was bored.

She picked at her box of chocolates as the commanders of the Army continued yelling at each other. She held one up and examined it before tossing it, and the box, aside. Yet another suitor doomed to disappointment. Either because she had rejected his gift or because she hadn't eaten of it. Poison was such a dreadfully slow way to go.

"The Fleuret boy has taken to hiding in Tenebrae," one of the commanders said. Bellona had forgotten his name, if she'd ever bothered to learn it in the first place. "I say we attack and bring him back in chains. His mission in Altissia cost us much."

Bellona heard a slow sigh from beside her. She slid her gaze over to her twin brother, Nikolaos. He pinched the bridge of his nose, his brow furrowed with exhaustion. She hoped she never aged as badly as he had in the last year. Though he was only in his late thirties, with his greying hair and deep lines, he looked to be nearing his late fifties.

That's what happened when you cared too much. Bellona had never been cursed with such an affliction.

"The army is already stretched thin," Nikolaos said. "We've no resources to send to Tenebrae. Besithia has slowed the production of the soldiers in favor of other experiments."

Another of the commanders pinned Nikolaos with a look. Bellona thought that if she were Imperator, she'd have the man's eyes plucked out and fed to dogs as punishment for glaring at his liege.

But then, Bellona was not Imperator, and no one asked for her opinion.

"If it's justification you're worried about, Your Highness," the commander said coolly, "we simply say he's been charged with treason. Say he meant for the mission to fail."

"You cast doubt on Imperator Iedolas," another commander, differentiated only by his blond hair, said. "It was his decision to place the Fleuret boy in charge. If we say he betrayed us, it would make the Imperator look weak."

"Isn't he?" the other commander asked with a mild tone. He cut a glance at Nikolaos. "How is your father, Your Highness?"

Underneath the council table, Bellona saw Nikolaos' hands clench into fists. She watched his face with a vague sense of curiousity. Bellona had heard two of the servants gossiping about her father having contracted the Starscourge. She'd sent their bodies out of the palace in pieces.

It was true that her father had the Starscourge. But that had not been made known to any of the council or his commanding officers. All they knew was that he had taken sick to his bed and, of course due to his old age and the stress of the siege on Insomnia, was struggling to recover. The fact that two servants had spoken freely about it meant there was a leak somewhere. And it seemed at least one officer had found it.

How would her twin play this now, she wondered? If he was smart, he would confirm their father was on his deathbed and had been for some time. The choice to make an outsider-a Fleuret born, no less-a High Commander could be waved away as a poor decision brought about by illness. It would pave the way for Nikolaos to take the crown from their father all while keeping his own hands clean.

"He is stable," Nikolaos said at length. Bellona resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

 _How typical,_ she thought. _I was the only one of us born with any balls._

"And his health is beside the point now," Nikolaos continued. "He would not order an attack on Tenebrae now were he well. Nor shall I. We must focus instead on the main threat: Prince Noctis and his comrades."

A grumble of disapproval rose from the commanders. Bellona decided she'd had enough of their presence for one day and stood, leaving the table without making any excuses for herself. No one stopped her. She wasn't truly necessary for the conversation in the first place. The thought caused her to clench her fists until her nails broke the skin.

The corridors of the palace were empty as Bellona made her way from the council room. Far too many servants had taken her father's illness as a chance to escape Gralea. If they were at the height of their power, they could have had them hunted down and dragged back for execution. As it was, her brother was too tied up in other matters to care much about the household staff.

Bellona slowly made her way towards her father's rooms. As the first daughter, it fell to her to take care of him in his illness. She had shrugged the responsibility off on a servant, but today she found herself curious as to how close the old bastard was to dying. Her footsteps echoed on the marble floors and walls.

She came to the door to her father's rooms and found it locked. Not unusual, certainly, and not a problem for her. She'd learned how to open doors closed to her when she was eight. Bellona took some pins from her hair and set to work on the lock. In short order, she heard the satisfying click and pushed the door open as she repinned her hair.

A strange gurgling sound greeted her as she stepped into the first of her father's rooms, the sitting chamber. Bellona paused, then very quietly closed the door behind her. She slipped off her shoes and, on quiet feet, padded past his large, dark wood desk to peer into his bedroom.

Iedolas writhed in his bed, black blood pouring from his mouth as he choked on it. Dark trails dripped from his eyes and Bellona realized it was blood as well. His bones broke and bent backwards, the muscles twisting underneath his paper thin skin.

And above him, with an impassive expression as if he saw this happen every day, stood Ardyn Izunia. Purple darkness seemed to emanate from him, and his skin was the pallor only the dead had.

Bellona watched as her father slowly died, then stepped away from the door and considered her options.

She was not particularly close to her father. He'd had no use for a daughter, not when Nikolaos existed. The most thought he ever gave her was when he'd begun accepting suitors for her hand, and after the fifth one had died, Iedolas had stopped giving her even that consideration. In Niflheim, women were meant to be silent, marry, bear and raise children, then die somewhere they couldn't bother anyone with the trouble of their decaying bodies. Bellona did not think of her mother often. She had died giving birth to another daughter, one Bellona wished had died as well.

It was with those thoughts in mind that Bellona silently made her way out of her father's rooms. It was only after the door closed behind her that she slowly let herself smile. If Ardyn killed her father-and she had no doubt that was what the Chancellor was doing-then Nikolaos would finally take the throne. In the middle of a war that, instead of coming to a close, was quickly spiralling out of Niflheim's control, it would be an awful time for Nikolaos to come to power. There were so many ways things could fall to chaos.

Giddy, Bellona turned from the door and walked away. _Why not?_ she thought. There hadn't been any good plays since Insomnia had fallen. She was in dire need of amusement.

She would see how this played out. If nothing else, it might prove entertaining.

* * *

The halls of Fenestala Manor were silent. So they had been for twelve years, but gods, the silence had never felt so damnably empty before.

Ravus opened the door to Lunafreya's bedroom and stood in the doorway for a long moment. Everything was exactly as she'd left it only months before, when she'd left for the final time to Lucis. The only thing missing was her wedding dress. Ravus did not miss it.

Everything he'd worked so hard to avoid had come to pass after all. Luna was dead. The world was falling to darkness. And its salvation rested on the shoulders of a boy Ravus had no faith in whatsoever.

Feeling decades older than his twenty-eight years, Ravus lowered himself into a chair he'd often sat in while spending time with Luna. Her empty one mocked him from across a low table.

He knew he couldn't stay long-the Empire would be after him, he presumed, for the failure in Altissia that was in no way his doing-but Ravus lingered nonetheless. His gaze rose to the ceiling, painted to look like the night sky. Lunafreya had fallen asleep every night to the faint light of the stars, as a reminder to herself of her calling as Oracle: To never let the light of Eos dim.

Tears fell down his cheeks. Ravus let them for a time. Then, with careful movements, he wiped them away and once more pulled out a tablet from his coat.

Once more, he played the video taken by a magitek near the Altar, that he'd managed to send to his personal drive before cutting ties with the Empire.

And once more, Ravus Nox Fleuret watched as a woman with brown skin and mismatched eyes communed with Titan, then summoned a light that should have only belonged to Lunafreya. He watched as Ardyn, Lunafreya's murderer, held the woman's unconscious body and healed her, then gently carried her away.

Ravus stopped the video and set the tablet down on the table.

He rose from his chair and gave Lunafreya's dark, empty room one last look. Then he turned and left. It couldn't stay in Tenebrae long.

He had a woman to find. And he knew exactly where to start: Lestallum.

* * *

NOTES: "Back in Black" is owned by AC/DC, of course.

And so we keep chugging, rather like a train. And our journey still has a ways to go.

Thanks for staying with it this far, friends, and I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint.


	13. Where She Lived

Back in the safety of a train cabin that hadn't been on the receiving end of a self-destructing MT, Elpis took off her ruined jacket with a sigh.

Her blood was already beginning to dry on it, turning rust colored and marring the single white wing. Large tears cut across the back. Maybe it was stupid of her to feel hurt by losing a jacket, but she did, nonetheless. Especially one that shared the same symbol with Ardyn.

"Here," Alexus said, pulling it from her hands before she could say anything. In mere minutes, the rips had disappeared as if they had never existed in the first place. Alexus handed the fixed jacket back to Elpis.

Elpis eyed it before taking it. "Thank you," she said stiffly as she shrugged it back on. "Now, do you want to explain why Leviathan said you were planning on sacrificing me in Altissia?"

"That _snitch_ ," Alexus sighed. They looked back at Noctis and his friends, who were gathered together a few booths away at Alexus' insistence. They turned back to Elpis with a neutral expression. "I lied, Elpis. It's a thing I do occasionally in order to get the outcome I want."

"And the outcome you wanted was... not for me to be on the receiving end of a trident?"

"Very much not."

Elpis crossed her arms over her chest. "What was the outcome you wanted?"

Alexus opened their mouth, blinked, then stopped, scratching the back of their head. "You know," they said, faintly puzzled, "I can't remember now. My memory of the last few days is a bit muddled since I came back from limbo. I don't think I actually planned on you being near the Altar when the time came."

Sighing, Elpis said, "You know I can't really buy that, right? You've been playing me like a puppet this entire time, and no matter how often you claim to love me, I don't feel as if I can trust you."

Alexus winced and looked away. "That's fair," they said quietly. "Is there... a chance I could win your trust again?"

"I don't know," Elpis said honestly. "I trust that, whatever your plans, you do truly want to see the end of destiny. For now, that'll have to be enough for me."

There was a tense silence between them before Elpis, her voice gentle, continued, "And you know I can never return your love, right?"

Alexus took a deep breath before nodding. "Yeah. Yeah, I know that. I've known that for two thousand years. What's been forged between you and Ardyn isn't a covenant, but something far stronger, and it leaves no room for anyone else."

Which was true enough. In the desert, one could have as many lovers as one wanted. It had never been Elpis' way, however. She had only ever loved one person at a time. When she loved, she did so with her entire being, focused solely on one person. For two thousand years, that person had been Ardyn. So it would always be.

Alexus had seemed to be waiting for something during Elpis' silence. When they didn't get it, they took another breath and looked away. "I never did any of this with the hope that it would win your love, Elpis. I did it because I treasure your happiness."

"Then start acting like it, and stop leaving me in the dark about things," Elpis said sternly.

"Are you guys ever actually going to come over and explain anything?" Noctis called.

"In a moment, Your Highness," Elpis said, keeping her gaze on Alexus.

The Messenger squirmed underneath her eye. "I can do that. Especially now that you have your memories back."

"I'm going to hold you to that, Alexus. And if you go back on your word, then that's it between us. I'll go my own way."

"Okay," Alexus said quietly. Then they shook themselves and regained some of their usual swagger. They motioned their head towards Noctis' group. "C'mon. I guess now I gotta do backstory. Ugh."

They both rejoined the boys, who watched them with caution. Alexus flopped down into a booth and stretched their long legs out. "So! Here we are all. What happened while I was gone?"

Gladiolus indicated Elpis with his thumb. "She was about to roll out some story that would have made us _understand_ the Chancellor," he said, his tone making it evident how dubious he found such a claim to be.

"Ohh," Alexus said with a nod. "Well, I can do that. And in less than five minutes, even."

They held out a hand to Noctis, who looked at them as if they were crazy. "Come on," Alexus urged as they held their other hand out to Elpis, who took it after a minute hesitation. "We don't have all day. Literally. Night will be falling way too soon."

Ignis stepped forward. "Perhaps if you explained what you intend to do..."

Alexus grinned. "Why tell a story when you can show it?"

Noctis shared a look with Elpis, who merely shrugged, before he took Alexus' hand.

Alexus nodded to the other three. "Come on, you too. You're all players in this, so you should see it too."

Ignis was the first to take Noctis' hand, then Prompto took his. Gladiolus set himself between Elpis and Noctis and took her hand. Elpis tried not to think about how easily he could probably crush it in his own.

"And three, two... one."

It didn't feel as if the floor fell out from beneath Elpis' feet, but it may as well have, for instead of the train car, they were surrounded in darkness. Ash began falling from the sky, a view so familiar to her that her breath caught in her throat before she could stop it. Slowly, the ruins of Solheim took shape around them, great blocks of rubble and stone cast with dancing shadows from the flickering torches.

A woman in an orange dress walked by them, limping and favoring her right leg, a stave in her hand. Even though Elpis remembered, it was still a shock to see her own face.

 _Had I really been so young when I left home?_ Elpis wondered, then remembered that she had only been a few years younger than she was now. Gods. She'd been a child, practically.

The Elpis of the past stopped when she saw figures exiting a house before her, and then used the last of her strength to approach them. The man in white tensed, lifting a torch, then relaxed when he saw she wasn't a daemon.

"Are you-" Elpis swayed on her feet, holding on to her stave tightly. The man reached forward, then paused, uncertain. "You're the people's healer? Ardyn Lucis Caelum?"

The man lowered the hood of his white robe, revealing his face. Ardyn looked at her in concern.

"What the hell," Noctis muttered.

"I am, my lady."

"I am Elpis Maelen of the Izunia tribe. I have come to beg for your help."

Once more she swayed, then the stave fell from her hand and clattered to the ground. Ardyn caught her before she joined it, cradling her body gently. He shifted her with such care that Elpis couldn't help but smile, watching it.

He picked her up, making certain her head was resting against his shoulder, and studied her face for a moment before walking off. The image faded, the ruins shifting until they became the tents of her tribe. The central bonfire blazed against the night as Elpis led Ardyn to her sister. There was silence as she and Ardyn healed Charis, and their surroundings once more took the shape of Solheim.

"Um," Prompto said, "this is weird, right? I'm not the only one who thinks this is weird?"

"This is very weird," Noctis said.

"What the hell is going on?" Gladiolus demanded.

They watched as Ardyn and Elpis sat together before the flames, laughing quietly together. When they fell silent, Ardyn reached out to push a lock of hair back underneath her headscarf, his hand lingering on her cheek. The look they shared was so intense it warmed Elpis' cheeks to see it now. The Elpis of the past finally made herself look away, and she didn't see the disappointment that crossed Ardyn's expression as he let his hand fall back to his side.

She cursed herself for a fool, even now. All that time they could have spent together and she had run from it. _What had I been so afraid of?_ Elpis wondered. _Why had I let that fear rule me for so long?_

Laughter broke through the darkness and the group found themselves on the outskirts of a gathering room while Ardyn, Elpis, and everyone they had loved in Solheim had dinner together. Somnus pushed Ardyn's shoulder with a laugh while his friends looked on. Ardyn wrapped his arm around Elpis' waist and pulled her close to kiss her temple. Elpis' fingers discreetly ran through his long, wavy brown hair as she looked over her new tribe.

 _I was happy,_ Elpis realized with a start. _I was content._

It was a feeling she hadn't had in some years.

"Two thousand years ago," Alexus said, their voice breaking Elpis out of her reverie as they walked out from behind the hearth fire, "there lived a healer in the ruins of Solheim. And one day, a woman came to him, begging him to save the life of her sister and the others of her tribe who had contracted the Starscourge. Ardyn Lucis Caelum," Alexus said, nodding to Ardyn as he smiled up at Elpis. "And Elpis Maelen. Bahamut's Chosen King and Oracle."

Everything happened quickly after that: Ardyn falling more and more into the control of the Starscourge, Elpis becoming desperate to save him. Receiving a vision from Bahamut and going to Angelgard, where they received the Astrals' blessings.

Then the Crystal, and how quickly everything fell apart. Ardyn deciding he would not live as the Accursed. How he'd left her to turn himself in to Somnus, who executed him, and how Elpis had arrived too late to save him but just in time to watch the execution. Elpis closed her eyes and looked away. She could still feel how his blood had splattered on her face.

And the sad, sorry end of it all: Somnus' blade through her heart, while Ardyn thrashed against his chains, the Starscourge having finally consumed him with Elpis' death. Somnus finding a new land to claim as his kingdom and naming it Lucis. And, slowly, how he erased all mention of Ardyn and Elpis in any history. Not out of malice, but out of shame and heartbreak, and in an attempt to spare his brother the legacy of being the Accursed.

The scenery changed to the forest surrounding a pool of water. Alexus came up from the waters of the Vesperpool with a gasp. In their arms was a small bundle, unconscious. Alexus held it carefully as they crawled towards the shore.

Once on dry land, Alexus laid the bundle out, revealing it to be a small child with Elpis' curly hair and dark skin. Cursing to themselves, Alexus lifted Elpis' right eyelid and growled when they saw the yellow hue of her iris.

"This complicates matters," Alexus muttered.

"Senka not only did away with Elpis' memories, she set protections in place meant to keep Elpis from ever remembering her first life. She also condemned Elpis to start life over completely from childhood," Alexus told the group now. "She must have guessed some of what I was going to do and tried to stop me. I had intended to take Elpis straight to Ardyn, who was being held in Niflheim after his release from Angelgard. There, they could have chosen what to do with their lives from there. Instead..."

The past Alexus sighed and picked the baby up, cradling her sleeping body.

"Your husband will have to wait for you," Alexus murmured. "And I'll have to hope this doesn't ruin everything."

The image faded, and then they were back in the train, the rhythmic thrum of the wheels underneath them familiar and comforting.

Elpis did not want to be comforted. She wanted to punch someone in the face.

"All this time," she seethed, pulling free of Alexus' hand, "I was meant to remember all this time. This could have all been avoided thirty years ago. I-"

 _I could have had more time with Ardyn,_ she thought before turning away and pressing a hand to her mouth. _I could have stopped him from becoming the Accursed. I could have changed fate before now._

Then again, if things had played out that way, she never would have been there for Laelia. Maybe Laelia wouldn't have contracted the Starscourge, or maybe she would have, but either way, her life would have been much worse if Elpis hadn't ever grown up in Lux. Elpis clung to that fact tightly. It was one tiny bright spot in a sea of anger and sadness.

"If I ever meet this Senka again," Elpis said, "I am kicking her in each of her stupid wing-eyes."

Alexus pumped up a fist in support.

"First things first," Ignis said, before Noctis grabbed the front of Alexus's shirt and picked them up, cutting off whatever Ignis was about to say.

"What kind of sick game are you playing?" he demanded. "You expect me to believe that bastard is my family? Did you think I would feel sorry for him?"

"Um," Alexus said, befuddled, "yeah?"

"Noct, c'mon, buddy," Prompto said, trying to pull Noctis back. "Just calm down."

One moment Alexus was in Noctis' grip, the next, they were standing behind him. Noctis nearly lost his balance and fell forward at the loss of weight, but Prompto grabbed his shoulder and pulled him upright. Elpis put a hand out between him and Alexus before he could charge again.

"No," Elpis said to Noctis, which made him stop, though he kept his glare set on Alexus. "You shouldn't have to calm down. Bottling up your emotions won't help you. You're hurt, and you're angry, and you should be. The Astrals have been playing all of us for fools, and you've lost the people you love because of it."

Her voice softened as she lowered her hand. "Believe you me, I understand. You just saw how much I've lost to destiny. Trust me when I say I share your anger."

"He's a King," Gladiolus said. "Kings don't get to wallow in their emotions." To Noctis he said, "Especially not when there's choices to be made."

Ignis pushed his glasses up, a deep frown betraying some of his thoughts. He maybe didn't entirely agree with Gladiolus, but couldn't deny his friend had a point, either. "If what you say is true," he said, turning to Elpis, "then what do you intend to do about it? What is your end goal?"

Alexus and Elpis shared a look before Alexus stepped back to give Elpis the stage. It was a show of giving Elpis control over the story from now on. A small move in the right direction, and Elpis was grateful for it.

"I want to save my husband," Elpis said, to Noctis' scoff of disgust. She gave him a level look. "I want to save everyone. There's more you don't know. You'll be seeking the Crystal soon, won't you?"

"Ah," Ignis said, "yes. We'd heard stories that it could save the world from the daemons. Stories that, thanks to you, have been confirmed."

"Everything has a price," Elpis said softly, her gaze on the floor.

Alexus stepped forward once more. "Yes, the Crystal can help Noctis get rid of the daemons," they said. "In order to do that, though, he has to absorb its power. And when the time comes-"

Ignis interrupted her, his voice unusually somber. "He'll have to die."

Noctis jerked back in surprise while Prompto let out a, "what?!" Ignis grimaced and looked away.

"In Altissia, I received... a vision of things to come, I believe," he said. "A voice spoke to me and said that Noctis would gain a power greater than that of the Six, and with the glaives of his ancestors, cast out the usurper."

Alexus put a hand on Elpis' shoulder in case she reacted to the title. She didn't, outwardly, but inside she fumed.

"But it comes with a blood price," Alexus finished. "Many have given their lives for the king, so the king must give his in return."

"That's..." Prompto trailed off.

"A load of shit," Gladiolus finished, a note of anger in his tone.

"Would that it were," Elpis said. "It came with a blood price before as well. Except the blood to be paid was meant to be mine."

For a long while, there was only silence between everyone as they all grappled with their new reality. Then Noctis surged to his feet and pushed past Elpis, muttering something about needing a moment alone. Prompto looked ready to follow him but stopped when Ignis put a hand out.

"So," Alexus said cheerfully as Noctis left the train car, "who wants to drown their sorrows in some drinks?"

* * *

A while later, Elpis left the boys with Alexus and sought out Noctis. She found him in one of the private train cabins. He quickly wiped at his eyes when she entered, turning his face from her towards the window in an attempt to further hide the fact that he'd been crying.

Elpis sat down across from him. Instead of speaking first, she let the silence draw out, keeping her gaze outside. The deserts of Niflheim were beginning to give way to the mountains of Tenebrae. It wouldn't be long before they reached their destination.

Finally, Noctis took a deep breath and said, "If I have to die to defeat the daemons, then I will."

Elpis' voice was quiet when she spoke. "How you remind me of Ardyn, as he was two thousand years ago."

Noctis jerked back, looking as if he wanted to argue the comparison. Then he glanced away with a slight shake of his head.

"You shouldn't have to die," Elpis continued. "A peaceful world should not have to be paid for with blood and despair at the whims of a divine being. Hasn't there been enough of both already? How many more must die before something as nebulous as a prophecy is satisfied?"

Noctis' shoulders slumped, and gods, but he looked so tired. And so young. In many ways, he was still a child, thrown into a war and a story for which he was vastly unprepared.

"Is there another way?" he asked, and the small hopeful note in his tone made her want to cry. How her heart broke for him. How it broke for them all.

"We will make another way," Elpis said firmly. "You, your friends, myself, and Ardyn."

His entire body went tense immediately. Instead of snapping, though, Noctis clenched his fists and seemed to struggle with what he wanted to say.

"I don't think I could. Every time I'd look at him, I'd... see Luna. Not just her. My dad, the city..."

"I know," Elpis said gently. "I ask much of you."

"Yeah. Too much."

"Maybe so," Elpis allowed. "But unlike everyone else, I'm giving you a choice. And if your choice is that we become enemies instead of allies, I'll accept that."

Static came on over the intercom before clearing as the driver announced they'd reached the station. Elpis shared a long look with Noctis before smiling slightly. "I don't want to be your enemy, Your Highness. But I will save my husband, either with your help or without."

Noctis was silent before saying, "Then before, on the train... that wasn't Ardyn?"

"No. It was Eos." Seeing Noctis' confounded look, Elpis shrugged with a quiet laugh. "Alexus was getting to that part."

As they made their way out of the cabin, Elpis launched into a quick explanation of how Eos was infected with the Starscourge. By the time they'd rejoined the group, Noctis looked as if he couldn't decide if Elpis were insane or not. Or if he'd been the one to go insane.

Really, it was a valid concern. Elpis wasn't entirely certain herself anymore.

They found Alexus playing around with Prompto's camera, making it float in the air while they posed and took selfies from different angles. Prompto looked torn between horror at the thought of his camera falling to the ground and enjoying Alexus' efforts.

Alexus caught sight of them first and grabbed the camera out of the air to hand it back to Prompto. "Ellie, this one is adorable. I wish to keep him."

"They're joking," Elpis said when she saw Prompto's alarmed look, even though Alexus really wasn't.

"So," Gladiolus said to Noctis, "you made a decision yet?"

Noctis looked away. "No. Kinda hard to know what to believe right now."

"Well, we don't have forever," Alexus said. "Especially with the Oracle dead."

Ignis glanced at Elpis. "Do you not have any of the Oracle's powers?"

"Ah... no," Elpis said.

Alexus snorted. "Who d'you think was the first light in the darkness, dummy? She forged a covenant with me when she agreed to come back to life. She has Ifrit's powers."

"Which, unfortunately, doesn't include holding back the daemons," Elpis said.

Noctis laughed sardonically, shaking his head. "That's convenient. You keep saying you want to help me, but you're throwing a hell of a lot of problems in my way."

Before Elpis or Alexus could reply, a new voice said, "Well, look who it is. I'd heard you were on the train."

A woman with white hair and green eyes wearing a truly impressive amount of armor stepped into the cabin. Alexus stopped, stared, then grabbed Elpis' arm hard and pulled her closer.

"Ellie," Alexus whispered, "Ellie, _EllieEllieEllie_ -"

Worried this was a new enemy, Elpis said, "What?"

"I want her to choke me with her thighs."

With an exasperated groan, Elpis freed her arm of Alexus' grip and moved away. "Can you not?"

"Aranea," Noctis said. "Guess we have you to thank for this mess?"

Aranea frowned and set a hand on her hip. "No, actually. I'm no longer with the Empire. My men and I are in the search and rescue business now." Her gaze traveled past the men to Elpis and Alexus. She raised an eyebrow. "New friends of yours?"

"Not exactly," Noctis said.

Deciding that was her cue to move on, Elpis stepped past them towards the door. "I'm going to check on the passengers," she said. She looked to Noctis. "Before you leave for Gralea, please, come find me again and tell me your answer. I realize that isn't much time, and I'm sorry."

Noctis crossed his arms over his chest as if he were protecting himself. "Yeah, you keep saying that, too."

Elpis bit her tongue to keep from replying and merely shook her head as she passed Aranea. The woman gave her a brief glance before dismissing her as unimportant.

The fresh air of Tenebrae was a welcome relief after the close quarters of the train. The smell of saltwater soured whatever pleasantness Elpis managed to take from being out in the open again. As long as she lived, she would always fear the ocean now.

Elpis let out a long breath, looking to the darkening sky, then to Alexus as they stepped off the train.

"Do you think he'll agree?"

"I don't know," Alexus said. "I can't see the future. If it were me and Ardyn had killed someone I loved, I wouldn't."

As they walked together through the groups the passengers had clustered into, Elpis gave Alexus a long look. "I never asked... I know you died protecting Ifrit in the War. Do you remember who killed you?"

At first, Elpis thought they wouldn't answer. Their bright green eyes were distant, their jaw tense, and their shoulders hunched as if against an invisible wind. Then Alexus said, "My brother."

They walked ahead before Elpis could say anything else. She trailed behind, thinking of Somnus and Ardyn, of Noctis and Ardyn, wondering at a world in which siblings and family members could be brought to kill each other. Wondering, once again, about the weaving of destiny. She could never imagine so much as slapping Laelia or Charis, never mind killing either one of them. Not even if it meant saving the world.

Much like with Ardyn, if saving the world meant shedding the blood of someone she loved, the world would simply have to burn. Elpis wondered what that said about her.

Then she set her worries aside and focused on helping the people who had been caught in the crosshairs of the Empire's rage, like so many others. There were no serious or fatal injuries-the worst were a few fractures, but the rest consisted mainly of cuts from the glass or burst eardrums from the explosions.

As Elpis helped a little girl clean out her cut, the girl's grandmother began worrying to her mother.

"It's getting dark already," the grandmother said. "Ever since Altissia, and Lady Lunafreya disappearing..."

Elpis kept her gaze on the girl's arm and her expression neutral. If she said anything about Lunafreya being dead now, it would likely only start a panic. If anyone even believed her, anyway. So far, neither Altissia nor Niflheim had released the news about the Oracle's death.

"Mother, not in front of Delphina."

Elpis smiled at the girl, who was still crying from the attack. "That's a very pretty name."

Delphina bit her lip shyly before wincing as Elpis had to dig deeper into the wound to clean it. Her mother watched Elpis carefully, not entirely trusting.

To the older two women, Elpis said, "You don't do your daughter any favors by keeping the truth from her. She's a child, not stupid."

The mother's spine straightened with offense. "Excuse me, but I don't think you have any place to be lecturing me about parenting."

Elpis put a hand over Delphina's cut with a small, reassuring smile. To the mother she said, "Perhaps not, but I can tell you that your esteemed grandmother is right. The night will begin to last longer. You would do better to prepare your family for it and teach them how to be their own light, instead of telling them everything will be okay and wait for someone to save them."

As the mother huffed, Elpis moved her hand and glanced down at Delphina's cut. It was gone. The girl blinked before looking up at Elpis with wide, blue eyes. Elpis winked, held a finger to her mouth, and Delphina nodded in agreement.

"Oh, hush," the grandmother finally said, pulling the mother away from Elpis. "She's right."

"We all have a light inside our own hearts," Elpis said, putting a hand to her chest, right over the scar Somnus had inflicted on her. She was aware of other people beginning to gather around her. Listening to her words. She kept her attention to Delphina. "When things are scary, or difficult, that light will be there. Sometimes, it may go out. It may seem like it won't ever come back. But it will. I promise you, the light will always return. Humans are creatures of light."

Delphina stared at her before giving her a small smile. Elpis stood and turned to face the rest of the people.

Slowly, as Elpis made her way through the crowd, tending to them and giving comfort where needed, the worried murmurs she heard about the sun fading and night lasting longer died away. They were replaced with smiles and gratitude, and while there was still a tension in the air, there was also hope.

When she was done, Elpis found Alexus at the end of the platform, smiling at her. "What?" Elpis asked.

"It's like Solheim," Alexus said, indicating the people with their chin. "You're not an Oracle anymore, but there's more than one way to fight back against the dark. You bring comfort to people when they need it. You keep the light in their hearts strong."

Uncertain how to reply, Elpis finally managed, "You're not usually this poetic. Are you still a little loopy from being dead?"

"Oh, probably. My brain feels like it's about five feet to the right of my actual body at the moment."

Elpis kept her gaze to the pale, rocky faces of the mountains when she said, "When I was struck with the trident, I didn't heal. Ardyn had to heal me with the daemons."

She turned to Alexus then, raising an eyebrow. "I can only heal so long as you're alive, can't I?"

"Guilty as charged," Alexus said, holding up their wrists as if Elpis would tie them up. "I'll try not to die again until this whole thing is over."

"To be fair, it doesn't seem to stop you for very long," Elpis said drily, trying to hold back a smile.

Alexus grinned. Yet even in that, their expression seemed weak somehow, as if something had dimmed the fire inside of them. Elpis knew that even if she asked, Alexus would not tell her the reason for their newfound sadness. They wouldn't want to burden her with such a story.

She didn't like it, but she understood it. She would let it lie. For now.

"You know, you never asked whether or not Ardyn agreed to this whole plan," Elpis said.

Alexus blinked in surprise. "No. Why would I? I had faith in you. His love for you is strong enough to break through the daemons' hold on him and resurrect that near-dead part of himself. He'd risk everything for the chance to be with you again."

They paused, cocking their head to the side, scrunching up their nose. "Wow, I really am poetic today. Gross."

Unable to keep from laughing, Elpis shook her head and patted Alexus' shoulder. In truth, she was touched beyond words by Alexus' belief in her. If only she could share it. She had never been very good at believing in herself.

 _I have to now, though,_ Elpis thought. _So many others believe in me, they must be right. If I'm to have any hope of saving Ardyn, I have to stop doubting myself from here on out._ Hopefully it would come to her more easily as time went on.

"We should head back," Elpis said, just as screams broke through the peaceful air, shortly followed by the shrieks of daemons.

She and Alexus shared a look before Elpis sighed. "I don't suppose you could summon a weapon for me, could you?"

"Oh, darling," Alexus purred as they held their palms up and, in a whirlwind of fire, forged a new stave for her. "I thought you'd never ask."


	14. Novum Iter

Ardyn considered the creature that used to be Emperor Iedolas Aldercapt of Niflheim. Its wings stretched, begging to fly, and it let out a high cry that cracked the glass of the bedroom windows. It looked at Ardyn with something like hate in its glowing eyes.

"Well," Ardyn said, raising a hand. The daemon cringed and began to whine as its bones crunched, breaking under Ardyn's command of the Starscourge in its body. "I can't say I'll miss you overly much. You've no place in the world to come. Out with the old, in with the new, I believe the saying goes."

The daemon that had once been a great Emperor grew smaller until its body dispersed into the scourge's miasma. Soon, nothing was left of it at all.

Ardyn took off his hat and set it to his chest. Instead of making a mockery of the Emperor's death, he allowed himself a moment of silence before saying, "Yours will be the last life I ever take."

Once, his calling had been to save lives, and Ardyn had embraced it happily. For far too long now, his hands had been stained with blood. He knew he may never be able to wash it off, and until recently, he hadn't wanted to. What did it matter, after all? What was one more life thrown on the pile with the rest?

Now, Ardyn would rather see himself locked back up in his prison than add a single damned drop to his name.

The daemons inside him writhed angrily. _No,_ they whispered. _Turn. Kill. Bring darkness to all._

"Oh, do shut up," Ardyn said wearily as he placed his hat back on his head. "And people accuse me of loving the sound of my own voice."

Their furious howls made him wince and put a hand out to steady himself with the wall. In his own mind, he carved out a place for himself, something he hadn't done in decades. And in it, he found Elpis' smile, the sound of her voice when she said his name, the smoothness of her skin, the brightness of her soul.

Slowly, the daemons quieted, quelled by Ardyn's thoughts of Elpis. Once they had gone back to a manageable level, Ardyn quietly said, "You managed to break me thirty years ago. You will not succeed again. I will be rid of you. I will be a monster no more."

He ignored the daemons' hisses and turned to leave. As he placed a hand on the door, a sudden pain seized him, strangling a choked sound from his throat. Ardyn fell to his knees and gripped his chest, where it felt as if his heart was twisting in on itself.

And then, a vision blocked out everything else, even the pain:

Elpis, stave in hand, thrown to the ground, blood running down her face. A daemon stood before her, a spider-like creature with the body of a woman, and it laughed as it ran towards Elpis once more.

The vision left him as soon as it came, and in its absence, fury shot through Ardyn. The Starscourge just underneath his skin reacted immediately and he felt his body begin to change. His bones snapped as his mouth widened, teeth growing longer, and his fingers became claws made of the scourge.

 _She,_ the daemons whispered. _She hurt her._

Eos. Once again, she was sending daemons after Elpis.

Ardyn snarled. And then he envisioned Tenebrae, with its large trees and rocky mountains, and Elpis amongst them all.

And then something bright caught his eye. It was a string, glowing with a pure light that Ardyn knew to be Elpis'. It was tied around the smallest finger of his left hand, and something about that tugged at Ardyn's memory, but with the Starscourge raging in his veins, his thoughts slipped like sand through his fingers.

He lifted his hand and saw that the string led off into the distance, disappearing into the wall of the Emperor's room. And Ardyn knew, somehow, that if he just pulled on it-

-Ardyn plunged the blade of his sword into the chest of the ariadne daemon that had been charging at Elpis. The daemon let out an agonized scream before Ardyn cut off its head. The body fell and turned into miasma before it could touch the ground.

"Ardyn."

He turned at the sound of Elpis' voice and slowly made his way over to her, his limbs not wanting to cooperate, wanting instead to change and let more of his daemon form free. He knelt down before her and she held out a hand to him.

Ardyn hesitated, then carefully took her hand in his mangled claws. He had to be careful. His strength was absurd; he'd broken things just by holding them in a way he thought had been soft. If he did the same to Elpis, he'd never forgive himself.

Elpis stared up at him, taking in his shape, then climbed to her knees and threw her arms around him. Ardyn breathed her in, smelling fire and smoke and blood, and growled deep in his chest.

"Hey," she said, "no, I'm okay. I'm fine. Especially now that you're here."

He nuzzled the side of her neck and wished he could feel her warmth. He could no longer see the string, but he'd no doubt that if he could, it would be attached to Elpis. And here he'd thought the ties that bound them together had been cut.

Elpis laughed shortly and pulled away. "Your scruff tickles."

Ardyn grinned and felt his shape reverting to normal. He waited until his mouth felt something close to normal before saying, "Yes, I recall you enjoyed the sensation of it on your thighs, as well."

He knew from how she ducked her head that she was blushing, but before she could reply, her gaze landed on something behind him. She cursed and tried to pull away, only for Ardyn to hold her close.

"Ardyn, you _are not_ using your body to shield me-"

Whatever she said next was drowned out by the lumbering groan of a giant daemon emerging from the ground. Ardyn turned and blinked, keeping Elpis' body angled behind him, and watched as the giant swung its sword through the body of a reaper that had been coming for Elpis.

The daemons were protecting her, and without Ardyn's direct command to do so.

"Um," Elpis said, "Ardyn?"

"This is not my doing."

"That wasn't the question I was going to ask, but thank you for the terrifying answer."

Before he could reply, a sword that glowed with a blue light pierced the armor of the giant, and it fell to the ground, where it became a pool of miasma that soon dissipated. The sword disappeared and its owner, the boy who shared an echo of Somnus' face, appeared at the edge of the train tracks.

"Ah," Ardyn said as he came to stand, still holding Elpis close. "The little prince, coming to save the day. I assure you we had it under control-"

Noctis let out a growl and charged for Ardyn. Without thinking, he shadowstepped to the side, bringing Elpis with him, and Noctis' punch met only air. He caught his balance before he could fall and spun towards Ardyn once again.

"You bastard-"

"Noct!" Ignis called from the sidelines.

"I can't leave you people alone for a minute, can I?" Alexus groused as they appeared beside Ardyn and Elpis.

Ardyn handed Elpis off to Alexus, then turned to Noctis. His hat was somewhere on the ground after the altercation, but he bowed nonetheless, then opened his arms to Noctis.

"I imagine you want to run a sword through me," Ardyn said, "so-"

"No!"

Elpis pushed in front of him, her stave connecting with the spear that Noctis had thrown at Ardyn. She knocked it off course, sending it spiraling off into the distance, where it disappeared in a flash of blue light. Then Noctis was on her, sword clanging against the metal of her stave, and Elpis grunted with the effort of trying to keep him off.

"El!"

Flashes of nightmares and memories came flooding back to Ardyn then, a new one appearing each time he heard Noctis' sword ringing against Elpis' stave. Somnus and the clash of his sword causing sparks, Elpis' voice cracking as she swore to never leave him, the flash of steel darkened by her life blood. He could feel the hooks in his flesh, the chains tying him to the prison, his utter helplessness as Elpis fought for him. Fear shortcircuited his mind, the daemons in a frenzy. Briefly Ardyn saw Elpis lose her footing from one of Noctis' swipes and he moved before he could think.

He could move, this time. No chains bound him. Nothing stopped Ardyn from taking hold of Elpis and bringing up his left arm, his winged guard appearing in time to block Noctis' blade. Ardyn felt his arm jerk from the force of the strike, but no pain followed.

"Damnit," Noctis snarled.

Ardyn paid him no mind. He stared down at Elpis, who was still alive, still breathing, her heart beating fast. She returned his stare, eyes wide.

"Are you hurt?" he asked softly, and she shook her head. Something relaxed in him as he realized Noctis wasn't attacking any longer. The fear and panic slowly left him, though he was reluctant to lower the guard.

Eventually he did, though, to find that Gladiolus had grabbed hold of Noctis' shoulders and was hauling him back. The shorter boy scrambled rather like an angry cat on the way to a bath.

"Calm down," Gladiolus snapped. "You think you're the only one who's angry? The only one who's lost people you care about?"

Slowly, Noctis stopped fighting. "I know I'm not."

Something like remorse stirred in Ardyn's chest, but it was faint. It felt as though it laid behind a thick wall that Ardyn could see through but could not penetrate. His life had rather been like that since he'd been freed; the scourge made him feel as if he were wrapped in layers upon layers of some dense material. He could only taste echoes of what a food or drink's flavor; he could only feel hints of emotions.

Which was why it took a concentrated effort for him to bow his head once more and remember how to properly express contrition.

"It hurts," Ardyn said quietly, "does it not? I will freely admit that my intention was to cause you pain. And I wanted you to despise me so that, when the time came, you would have no qualms about killing me. I, too, have watched someone I loved die while I could do naught for her. She was killed whilst protecting me."

Elpis' body was still tense, still waiting for a further attack from Noctis. She must have sensed that the fight was over, though, for Ardyn felt a sense of pressure where her fingers found his wrist and gently held it.

"You hate me," Ardyn said to Noctis.

"You're gods damn right I do," Noctis growled. But his anger was floundering.

"It's easy to let the anger win and lash out," Ardyn said. He pulled his hand free of Elpis and instead wrapped his arm around her waist, pressing her close to his side. Just to feel her next to him, just to have that reassurance. "I allowed mine to control me for the past thirty years. I suppose, in the end, I was a weak man after all."

He considered Noctis as Gladiolus set him back down on his feet. "Be a better man than I was, Noctis. Do not let your anger and pain consume you as mine did."

There was a tense silence between him and Noctis, as the younger boy blinked, blinked again, then scowled. "Fuck you."

Ardyn smiled. "Apologies, only El is allowed to do that."

Elpis shook her head with an exasperated sigh.

"If you've finished," Ignis said, then paused as he realized how his words could be taken.

Ardyn decided to be merciful and not take them out of context, merely inclining his head. "For now, I believe I am. As are the daemons."

"Aw, man," Alexus groaned. "Don't tell me we're all gonna sit around and talk to each other some more?"

"I'd rather we do that than be at each other's throats," Elpis said evenly.

Ignis pushed up his glasses. "I do have some Ebony I could make for us all," he offered.

Elpis gave Noctis a long look before saying, "If it pleases His Highness."

Ardyn frowned. He disliked Elpis showing deference to Noctis. It should have been the other way around - the boy should have been bowing and referring to Elpis as Her Royal Highness, the Queen.

He stopped himself from following that train of thought further. Elpis had no wish to be Queen-and frankly, Ardyn still had no desire to be a King. That hadn't changed. Of all the things that had changed about him, that wasn't one.

Still. It wouldn't have hurt Noctis to be a little more respectful.

Noctis ran a hand down his face and sighed. "Fine. Whatever."

* * *

Elpis murmured her thanks as Ignis handed her a mug of coffee. The warmth of it spread through her hand, which helped with the ache in her wrist and arm from blocking Noctis' swings. She wasn't much a fan of coffee in general, but sipped at it nonetheless, keeping her gaze on Ardyn as he stood close to her side, as if to protect her from any sudden attacks.

He waved away a cup as Ignis handed it to him. "My thanks, but I've no taste for it," Ardyn said, which wasn't entirely a lie. He couldn't taste it at all.

She tightened her grip on her mug. Soon, she'd free him from his curse. There was so much she wanted him to experience afterwards. They could explore Eos together, whatever was left of it after the Starscourge was gone. As everyone else settled around the fire at the little campsite they'd found near the treeline of the Tenebraean woods, Elpis let her imagination run wild. It would have to be after Insomnia was rebuilt. But after that, yes, they could travel, and he could enjoy the modern Eos as he hadn't been allowed to before, without the taint of the scourge inside him.

"What are you thinking of?"

Ardyn had knelt beside her and leaned in to whisper in her ear. Elpis turned his face to him, their noses bumping briefly, causing her to smile. "I was thinking of you," she whispered back, and noted the dim spark of happiness in Ardyn's amber eyes.

"Isn't that an enticing thing to say," Ardyn all but growled, and she had to remind herself that making allies with Noctis and his friends was more important than dragging her husband off into the trees.

He noticed when she shivered, tilting his head. "Are you cold, my love?"

"A little."

Before she could say anything else, Ardyn had slipped off his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. There was no warmth to it-he had no body heat to give the leather-but it shielded her from the chill in the air. Elpis smiled as Ardyn moved closer, bringing an arm around her shoulders to pull her closer to him.

She felt eyes on them and looked up to find Noctis watching, an unreadable expression on his face. Once he was caught looking, he turned away.

Elpis had never been a praying sort, not in either of her lifetimes. Her faith in the Astrals had been too battered in her previous life. And in her new life, she'd never felt like the Astrals were meant for ordinary people like herself. They were meant for kings and emperors. She'd never prayed or given them much thought at all. That wasn't about to change, not after everything she now knew.

So instead, Elpis closed her eyes briefly, and when she prayed, she prayed to her mother. Her proud, indomitable mother, who tried to teach Elpis how to harden her heart and be a good leader for her people. She prayed to her sister, Charis, who could make even the surliest person smile with her laugh, with her sunny disposition.

And, after a moment's hesitation, she prayed to Somnus.

 _Please,_ Elpis prayed, _let Noctis see reason. I do not want to be his enemy. I want to save him, just as I want to save Ardyn. Do not make me spill his blood as well._

Noctis made a small noise, followed by some of his friends. When Elpis opened her eyes, she saw that flakes were falling from the darkened sky. "It's snowing," he said.

From their perch closest to the camp fire, where they had their hand engulfed in the flames, Alexus said, "Shiva's watching us."

"Is... that a good thing?" Prompto asked, sounding as if he didn't really want to know the answer.

Alexus glanced over to Ardyn. "For some of you, yeah. But for someone who killed the Oracle that Shiva loved? Probably not."

Noting how Noctis' expression darkened, Elpis said, "Thanks, Alexus."

"No point in avoiding it," Gladiolus said from beside Noctis. He was keeping a watchful eye on Ardyn and staying near his king, just as Ardyn was keeping near to Elpis. The Shield pinned Elpis with a look. "Not just the Oracle, either."

"Shall I give you a full accounting of how many lives I've taken?" Ardyn said, his tone almost cheerful. "I think you'll find it a tad long, though I confess I've lost count, and I did not write down all their names."

Before anyone could react, Ardyn stood, and Elpis felt the air change around him - become darker, thicker, and almost move on its own. The scourge appeared at the corner of his mouth and ran down his cheeks from his eyes, which had begun glowing. Everyone tensed as he stepped closer to Noctis.

"I do not remember every life I've taken, and I stopped feeling the weight of their deaths decades ago. I am a monster, yes. I am that which the Gods made me. And you-" He motioned to Noctis, who drew back slightly, fists clenched, "-are what the Gods made; a True King, meant to die so his blood may wash Eos clean of the scourge. And so they play their story out with no care for players in it. We are not even pieces on a game board to them, for that would imply they had any interest in us."

"Ardyn," Elpis said, a note of desperation in her tone, "shut up."

He did not shut up. "Did your father ever tell you of the time I paid a little visit to Insomnia, shortly before he was crowned, long before you were born? What fun Ifrit and I had that day. And when I almost ran your father through, Bahamut himself decided to stop me. And there he deigned to tell me that my calling was to be the greatest monster Eos had ever seen, instead of the man who could have ended people's suffering ages ago. I tried to fight my fate as long as I could, but let's say Bahamut can be rather persuasive when he chooses to be."

Noctis rose to his feet just as Elpis did. She grabbed Ardyn's wrist and pulled hard until he stumbled back to her side. With a pained groan, Ardyn shook his head, putting his free hand up to his eyes. Slowly, the scourge faded from his face, and his eyes once more became human. He blinked slowly, looking at Elpis, then to Noctis, wincing from the light of the fire.

Sounding tired, Ardyn said, "That is who you'll save, if you so choose, Your Majesty. A man who gave up hope and chose to tread a path of blood and despair, as it was the only one left to him. I chose to save people, long ago. I was forced to kill them instead. And if you succeed in defying destiny and I become a mortal once more? I will feel every life I've taken for the rest of my existence. There will not be a day that goes by that I do not think on it."

"Sounds like a fitting punishment," Gladiolus said, but there was discomfort in his expression as he said it.

"Gladio," Ignis said with reproach.

"Ardyn," Elpis said quietly, her heart breaking for him, while another part of her raged at the Gods for what they'd done to the man she loved. "Please."

Sighing, Ardyn picked up his coat from where it had fallen to the ground when Elpis stood. He set it back on her shoulders, then took off his hat and placed it on her head. "This is the future for which you'll fight, Noctis. One where the people will never need fear the darkness again, for it will only be shadows and no longer full of monsters. Where you will reign as king in the city my brother began."

Ardyn paused, staring at Elpis, before saying, "And where I may have the life that was denied me."

"You think you deserve it?" Noctis said. "After all you've done?"

He shrugged. "No."

Elpis stepped between Noctis and Ardyn for the second time that day. "For fuck's sake, you two," she said, unable to keep the angry exasperation out of her voice.

"Yeah, everyone needs to chill," Alexus said, then laughed at their own joke. Everyone stared at them until they calmed down. "Sorry, still a little out of it." They stood and stretched, their hand showing no damage from being in the camp fire. "I mean, do you even want to get into whether or not anyone is responsible for their own actions if everything is preordained and the Gods decide what people do? Talk about a moral nightmare."

"Guys," Prompto said, "uh, this might be a dumb question, but... what's stopping Luna-Lady Lunafreya-from coming back from the dead, too?"

Elpis blinked. "I-well."

"Nothing," Alexus said with a yawn. Then they blinked. "Wait, I didn't mention that was part of the plan? To bring Luna back?"

"No," Ignis said drily, "you neglected to mention that fact."

"Oh. Well, I've mentioned it now."

Noctis sank back into his chair, looking like the young boy he was. When he spoke, his tone held the barest flicker of hope, as if he were scared to truly believe in what Alexus was saying. "Is that... possible?"

"Dude, you're talking to two people who came back from the dead," Prompto said.

"Three, actually," Ardyn said.

Silence fell over the group as they considered this idea. It felt too easy to Elpis. Yes, she and Ardyn had come back from the beyond, but it had taken the intervention of Gods for them both to do so. And now the entire world was trying to drag her back into death's realm, no matter how much she kicked and screamed.

But... why not? She was already defying several laws of nature and divinity. Why not try to bring back Lunafreya?

"Let me see if I have this right," Ignis said at length, "you want us to not only defy the Gods and fate, save Eos from the Starscourge, and bring back Lady Lunafreya from the dead? While fighting an infected Eos and, possibly, Bahamut?"

Prompto had blanched at Ignis' description and seemed to regret bringing up the possibility. Gladiolus merely frowned, watching Noctis, who seemed to be taking it in slowly.

"Oh, come now," Ardyn said, his cheerful demeanor returning, "where's your sense of fun and adventure?"

"I have none," Gladiolus deadpanned.

Elpis and Ardyn shared a long look, and in his expression, Elpis could read the things he wasn't saying. That he was willing to do anything, so long as she stood by his side. That he would follow her to the ends of the very world, to death's realm itself, if it meant he could hold her just as he was doing.

She hoped he could read the same thoughts in her expression. He must have, for he slowly smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"I'll do it," Noctis said, startling her. He cast a glance at Ardyn. "You... you're right. It's not right, what the Gods and Eos are doing. All the blood and death and pain - it stops here. It stops now. If we can change things, we have to try. It's what a good King would do."

From the corner of her eye, Elpis saw Gladiolus grin.

Ardyn was silent for a moment before letting out a slow breath. "You take after Somnus," he said, his voice quiet. "He and I had our differences, but in the end, he was a good man. We may have a chance at this, after all."

"Are you saying you doubted me?" Elpis said, her tone teasing.

"Perish the thought, dearest."

The air chilled further, causing everyone to stop, and Elpis found she wasn't surprised to see a familiar woman standing behind Noctis. Ardyn tensed, his grip on her tightening, even as Elpis put a calming hand on his.

The Prince jumped away, then said, "Gentiana. What are you-"

"Noctis," Alexus interrupted, sounding tired as they motioned to Gentiana, "meet Shiva. The Glacian."

Noctis stared, then said, "I don't know why I'm surprised."

Shiva smiled. "So you've chosen your path, O King of Kings?"

Slowly, Noctis stood straighter, and in his frame Elpis could see an echo of Somnus, of every Lucis King and Queen who had come before him. And she saw Ardyn in him, as well.

"I have," Noctis said. "And if you've come to stop me-"

"No," Shiva said. Her form changed then, her body seeming to glow, until her clothes had melted away and she floated gently in the air and her skin had turned a blue-tinged white. In her hands appeared the Trident of the Oracle. "Save our star, King of Kings. Save us all. Let the Oracle's will be done."

Without hesitation, Noctis reached out for the Trident, which disappeared in a flurry of snowflakes. Shiva soon followed it. The air slowly warmed once more as the snow stopped falling.

Ardyn, without missing a beat, said, "Well, that was all a tad melodramatic."

Elpis, ignoring everyone else, laughed and kissed Ardyn's cheek. "I love you, silly man."


	15. The Gospel of Charis

All her life, Elpis had heard stories of Niflheim. It had been an ever lingering shadow on the horizon, growing larger year by year, until it had finally fallen over her home town. Even in her rural, dusty part of Lucis, they heard rumors of what Verstael Besithia did in his labs, how he experimented on daemons and people and fused the two together. As a child, she'd had nightmares about being taken and turned into a monster.

Given all the dread and horror the Empire could inspire in a person, Gralea itself was almost dull in comparison. The infrastructure was some decades behind Insomnia's, since Iedolas had focused more on improving their army than his capitol, and his neglect could be seen in the streets riddled with holes, the bridges that had been closed off, and the buildings that had been condemned as "unsafe". Everything was in the same shades of beige, as if the buildings had been made from the sand that made up most of the capitol.

Yet even with the tension in the air, the fear that Elpis could feel like electricity, people somehow carried on. At night, buildings were reinforced against the daemons that stalked the streets. When morning came, people got on with their lives; they went to work and school and managed to live. Just as they had in Solheim.

Elpis was considering this thought as Ardyn led their group through Niflheim. Noctis and his friends trailed behind them some ways, stopping every now and then to take pictures or selfies. They had changed their clothes on the train to the capitol, changing out of the Insomnian royal black into whites and greys, the red on their sneakers the only things giving them some color. Ignis had looked appalled when he'd been handed the sneakers to wear, but he had eventually relented.

They looked like tourists, which was exactly how Elpis had wanted them to look. She had no idea how they'd managed to keep a low cover on the road looking like they'd come straight out of an Insomnian fashion magazine, but it was too risky to let them wander through Gralea looking exactly the same as they had.

Given that he was instantly recognizable to anyone in Niflheim, Ardyn was using the daemon's powers to put a glamour over himself. It still took her aback to look his way and see a nondescript man with brown hair and brown eyes with Ardyn's swagger.

"Let's go over the plan once more, shall we?" Ignis' voice came through the commlink hidden in Elpis' ear. She casually glanced back and saw that they had stopped at a statue of the founder of House Aldercapt, a man with a high forehead and serious eyes. Prompto aimed his camera at Noctis and Gladio, while Ignis stood a ways off pretending to read the plaque dedicated to the first Emperor.

"We've been over it several times already," Alexus said, looking downright demure in their white jeans and plain red shirt. They'd even changed their hair to a dull, dishwater brown.

"Humor me, if you please."

Elpis stopped in front of a fashion store, looking in on the mannequins. "In the center of Gralea stands the Zegnautus Keep."

"Sorta hard to miss," Prompto said, and he had a point. It was rather hard to miss a gigantic metal fortress hovering in the sky, supported by a few thick beams.

"Inside you'll find the labs of Verstael Besithia," Ardyn said, coming to stand by Elpis. He pointed a finger at a long, one-shouldered white gown, something that would fit right in at a royal ball. Elpis rose an eyebrow at him and then looked pointedly at the price tag. He shrugged, putting an arm around her shoulders and leading her away. "If there's a way to do this mad thing we've all set on, we may be able to find it there. He has the largest collection of information on the daemons and the old stories of anyone on Eos. It's how he was able to find me on Angelgard."

"That information was just conveniently left somewhere he could find it, huh?" Gladiolus said. He had disliked the plan from the start, and still wasn't a fan of it.

Elpis understood why. It sounded like a trap.

"Destiny, remember?" Alexus said, eyeing a fountain. The fish inside scattered when Alexus neared and they frowned. "Verstael was meant to find Ardyn and take him to Niflheim. Leviathan even kept the seas calm for him that day."

"Bitch," Elpis muttered, then blushed when she realized she hadn't been as quiet as she'd meant to be. She felt Ardyn chuckle against her and tighten his hold on her shoulders. "Anyway, we go in there and have a look around. Maybe we find something. If not, we'll have to wing it from there."

"Sounds great," Noctis said with a dry note in his voice. "Nothing says 'success' like fighting the Astrals without a solid plan."

"In the event that we find nothing of use in the Keep, I can think of something," Ignis said.

Alexus purred and said, "Does that big brain of yours translate to a big d-"

Elpis shoved Alexus before they could finish that sentence, and Gladiolus' bone-shaking laughter blocked out anything anyone else might have said.

Ardyn reached up and tapped his commlink, briefly muting his feed. He looked to Elpis, amber eyes searching her face. "About all of this," he began slowly, "there will be... things in there that document some of what I've done in the last thirty years. In service to the Empire. Many of them horrible."

Memories of the battle in Insomnia came back to her, the ash in the air, the smell of blood and the sound of people screaming. How terrified she'd been that Laelia had been killed. How she'd never seen any of the people she'd known make their way to Lestallum. How she had allowed herself to grieve them for one night, then got up the next morning and tried to get her life back on track, thoughts of Ardyn following her every step of the way.

After muting her feed, Elpis said, "I know. I've already seen that part of you. And I told you I understood, and that I forgave you."

Ardyn shook his head. "But-"

"Husband," Elpis said, the old Solheiman word falling easily from her lips, "I won't leave you. Never."

Frowning, Ardyn stared off into the distance, tension lining his shoulders. He didn't believe her. Elpis supposed she couldn't blame him, exactly - he had done truly monstrous things. By all rights, she should be disgusted by him.

She took his hand in hers. "Man or monster," she said quietly, "healer or King or Accursed, I love you. I love all of you."

Ardyn let out a slow breath, looking away from her. He opened his mouth, then closed it, seemingly speechless for once. Then, without a word, he turned his commlink back on. Elpis followed suit, hoping he believed her.

They all stayed silent as they made their way closer to the Keep. As they neared, Elpis' anxiety began to grow. It wasn't until the crowds began to thicken and she saw more tourists that she began to truly worry.

"Alright," Ignis said as they came to a clearing in the buildings and the beginning of a path to one of the Keep's entrances. From where they stood, Elpis could hear a male voice shouting over the crowd. "This is our last chance to turn back. Are we prepared?"

After everyone answered in the affirmative, Elpis watched as Noctis and his friends passed by her and joined the group near the end of the crowd. A man in Imperial whites and a thick commoner accent was directing people to move closer together, then counting heads. He paused as he came upon Noctis and the others. Elpis' heart jumped into her throat as she watched.

Prompto let out a nervous laugh. "H-hey. We're here for the... tour...?"

Elpis could just barely make out the guide's reply over the commlink. "You may have to wait, sirs. We're at capacity for tours."

"What do we do if this doesn't work?" Elpis asked quietly. When she received no reply, she turned to see that Alexus was playing a cat collector game on their phone, and Ardyn had closed his eyes with a grimace. She put a hand on his shoulder.

Slowly, Ardyn opened his eyes, and in them Elpis could see the darkness that lived under his skin. "I was thinking of how easier this would be if we simply killed him," he said, voice flat.

"Yeah, it would be," Alexus said, their own tone bored. "But, you know, morals and whatever."

With a glance down, Elpis saw that Ardyn's hands were trembling from the effort it took to keep his daemons at bay. Taking his hands in hers, Elpis leaned up until her lips brushed against his ear. In a hushed murmur, she said, "All of you in there need to sit down and shut up. Or else."

She felt Ardyn's body stiffen, then relax against hers. When she pulled away to meet his gaze, he seemed faintly surprised-and puzzled. "I... that worked."

"Good," Elpis said, kissing his cheek. "They know what's good for them."

Ardyn, still puzzled, could only laugh. Elpis smiled in return and gave his hands a squeeze before letting go. When she stepped back, she saw Alexus watching them with an unreadable expression. Before she could do anything, Ignis' voice crackled to life over the commlink.

"We're inside," Ignis said.

"Good thing the Empire underpays their employees, leaving them open to bribes," Gladiolus said.

"Y'know, it sorta makes you wonder how they managed to take over most of the world," Prompto said.

Elpis cringed as Noctis' voice filtered through. "I bet we have a certain Chancellor to thank for that."

"Play nice, boys," Alexus said. "What's that mortal saying? Let bygones be bygones?"

"Okay, back to the plan," Elpis hurriedly said. "When you're high enough up, comm Alexus and they'll come to get you. We'll meet you outside the labs and go from there."

With that settled, Elpis unzipped her yellow jacket, shrugged it off, then tied it around her hips. Underneath, the neckline of her red shirt cut low, showing off an impressive amount of cleavage, and its hem ended an inch above her pants. She let her hair down from its bun and tied it low, leaving curls framing her face. A small spark of smug pride welled up in her as Ardyn took her in.

"How do I look?" Elpis asked with a small smirk.

"Like you're thirsty for the D," Alexus said as they walked past. "Can we get going already? We're on a schedule, here."

Ardyn paused before saying, "I'm afraid my vocabulary is failing me in this instance."

Taking his arm and putting it around her shoulder, Elpis said, "I'll explain later."

As Ardyn dropped his glamour and resumed his normal visage, Elpis pushed aside her worries at Alexus' strange moodiness. Together, they made their way past the public entrance of the Keep and to the entrance reserved for employees and military personnel. When Ardyn's ID card let him through without a hitch, Elpis felt one of her many knots of tension loosen. Although he had reassured everyone that he hadn't yet been marked as a traitor-and frankly, he likely wouldn't be-Elpis had feared that the Empire had turned on him.

The first floor of the Zegnautus Keep was disappointing in how normal it appeared. Elpis' dim reflection stared back up at her from the silver floor that looked as if it hadn't been polished since she was a child. An empty receptionist's desk stood off to the side, the screen of its outdated computer dark, a thick layer of dust having settled over everything. An elevator stood just off to the side of the desk. There were no other ways in or out of the Keep.

Elpis shivered despite the warm air.

"Charming, isn't it?" Ardyn said as he pressed his ID card to the small screen next to the elevator. A light above turned green with a ping as the doors slid open. To Elpis' enormous relief, the elevator looked to be in good condition. "In his quest for Insomnia and the Crystal, Iedolas cut everything that he deemed unnecessary for Gralea to function. Thus, the visitors get a warm welcome-and plenty of opportunity to part with their gil to help fund the war-and the many employees make do with the minimum."

Alexus snapped their fingers. "Idea: After this is over, we film a horror movie here. One way in. No ways out." They flipped their newly restored bright red hair over their shoulder. "I would be the star, of course."

Elpis watched the floor numbers as they climbed higher into the Keep. "I can only focus on making it through this alive right now," she said quietly. "Never mind what comes after."

"That's easy, darling," Ardyn said, lowering his head until his lips were next to her ear. "You and I live happily ever after."

Elpis closed her eyes. "Right," she said. "Of course."

Far sooner than she would have liked, the elevator reached the floor that housed the main lab. A blast of air that smelled sterile hit her as soon as the elevator doors opened. Verstael's entire laboratory took up several floors of the Keep, but the one they wanted was the one at the very top of them all. Elpis considered the placement a sign of Verstael's arrogance.

Alexus put it in far simpler terms with a whistle as they looked around. "Impressive. The Keep is compensation for the Emperor _and_ Besithia."

Although she agreed with Alexus' assessment, Elpis shot her friend a look that told them to shut up. Alexus shrugged and then, in between one blink and the next, disappeared from view.

Ardyn smirked. "Alone at last, my lady."

How was it that, even after two thousand years, he could make her blush? Elpis leaned into him and the emotions he kindled in her, letting a slow smile grace her features. "Not quite," she whispered, tilting her head slightly to indicate a lone scientist working away at a monitor. Then, giggling, she said in a louder voice, "No way. There's no way you work here."

"I assure you, I do."

Their voices caught the attention of the scientist, who finally glanced up from their work. Ardyn strolled over languidly, leading Elpis with his arm around her shoulders in a proprietary move that she secretly found thrilling.

"Magnus," Ardyn said by way of greeting. "Working late once again, I see. Have you no one at home with whom to spend your time?"

The scientist, Magnus, frowned. He was a handsome enough man, Elpis supposed, with hazel eyes and olive skin made pale by too much time spent indoors. His brown-black hair hung into his eyes and he tried in vain to brush it back. It flopped down a moment later.

"Chancellor Izunia," Magnus said. His gaze went briefly to Elpis, then paused as he took in her attire and make-up. Hesitating only briefly, he said, "You know unapproved guests aren't allowed past the visitor spaces."

Ardyn waved a hand dismissively. "I daresay Verstael won't mind. Especially when he's so busy nowadays."

Elpis turned her smile on to Magnus, who eyed her with disinterest. "C'mon," she urged, "just this one time? Please? I promise I won't touch anything. Well," she added with another giggle as she gazed up at Ardyn, "I won't touch any of the science-y bits."

"Do me a favor, Magnus," Ardyn said with a grin that bordered on sleazy. "Take your midday meal and be certain to linger over it. The lady wishes to have a private tour of the, ah, facilities, and I don't wish to disappoint her. You understand, don't you?"

Magnus visibly held back a sigh. Just as Elpis was afraid she would need to knock him unconscious and tie him up, Magnus rolled his eyes and stepped away from his monitor after hitting a few keys.

"Whatever you say, Chancellor," Magnus said, then grumbled something that sounded like, "I don't get paid enough to deal with this guy."

Gasping excitedly, Elpis jumped a little in place. "Yay! Thank you!"

They both turned away from Magnus as he left, as if neither one could bother to pay attention to him anymore. In fact, she and Ardyn listened as the man's footsteps slowly faded and, once they heard the elevator doors close, immediately straightened.

"Impressive," Alexus said as they began hitting keys on one of the computers. "He's going to bleach the entire place when he gets back just to make sure you didn't leave any fluids behind."

"Must you be so crude?" Ardyn sighed as he pushed them out of the way to enter commands into the computer.

Elpis took her first good look at the lab since she entered. Models of daemons stood inside a glass case, while a map of Eos was laid out in the middle of the level. Bookcases filled with various tomes and notebooks lined the walls and, if the shelves hadn't been made of metal, they likely would have bowed from the weight. A few couches and chairs stood off to the side; the low dips in the cushions and faded fabric told Elpis they were used often and hadn't been replaced in a while.

A familiar face caught her attention and her breath caught painfully in her throat.

Somnus stared out at her.

No, not at her - his gaze was distant, beyond the portrait painter. For it _was_ a portrait, taken long after Somnus had become King. He sat in his throne in Insomnia, the sun reflecting off his silver crown. He'd grown a beard at some point and his black hair was longer than it'd been when she'd known him. His cheeks had hollowed out some, and the painter had captured a darkness in his blue eyes that Elpis could not remember him having before-

Before he'd killed his brother. And then her.

Shaking slightly, Elpis' gaze fell to the woman who stood beside Somnus. With a start, Elpis realized this must have been his Queen. She had a regal bearing, her red hair done up in an elaborate style that showed off her own smaller crown. Her brown eyes gazed out at the same point as Somnus', distant, as if they were both looking into the future.

 _And what did you see, Somnus?_ Elpis wondered. _Did you see the end of your line? Ardyn's long wait for salvation?_

She would never know. Somnus was long dead.

Trembling, Elpis stepped away from the portrait and found herself in front of another one, this time of a group of men above a horde of monsters. Behind the centermost man was a woman in gold with one wing extended, as bright as the sun itself. To the sides were men and women with swords looking on, as well as the five Astrals, as seven swords were pointed at the monsters-at the daemons, Elpis realized. That meant the men in the center must have been Noctis and his friends.

Elpis frowned, studying the painting. One of the men had blond hair, and the other was larger than the others-Prompto and Gladiolus, maybe? But the fourth had a blindfold on. Unless it was meant to signify Ignis' glasses?

"El," Ardyn called out to her, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"Sorry," Elpis said, joining Ardyn's side once more as a door slid open to darkness.

Ardyn looked past her to the paintings and his expression momentarily darkened as he looked to Somnus. "Pay it no mind," he told her, pulling her towards the room. "Let the Lucians have their false history."

Instead of joining them, Alexus lingered in the doorway. "I'm going to fetch our little prince and his friends." Without waiting for a reply, they vanished once more.

The lights clicked on once Ardyn ran a hand over a small screen set beside the entrance. Boxes and file cabinets greeted Elpis, all labeled with dates-of their discovery, she presumed. She stepped in further, then stopped when she caught sight of something hanging on the furthest wall.

"Oh," she breathed, making her way through the maze of boxes until she stood in front of the tapestry.

It was in poor condition, parts of it having long since crumbled away, the threads hanging loose, the colors having long since lost their shine. But the main part of it had survived. In it, a circle of golden sunlight adorned the back of Elpis' head as she stared down at the figure in her arms: Ardyn, the Starscourge bleeding away from him from the wounds inflicted on him in his imprisonment. Ardyn gazed up at Elpis in the tapestry, one eye blue, the other the black and gold of the Starscourge. His hair went from the brown she remembered to his red-violent hue. His chains crumbled away from him and, behind his own head, was another circle of sunlight.

Elpis sensed Ardyn come to stand behind her now. "I used to come here and stare at your face for hours when I was first brought here," he said in a hushed tone. As if the tiny room they were in was somehow sacred. "It was the only way I could remember what you looked like."

He turned to her and lifted her face up towards his with a hand under her chin. After studying her a moment, he smiled slightly. "They didn't quite get your nose right."

Managing a small laugh, Elpis took his hand in hers and looked back to the portrait. "What is it, do you think?"

"I know not," Ardyn said. "It was found in Lucis, near the desert. I thought it came from your tribe."

"I'm not certain," Elpis said. "They wouldn't have spoken of me after I was banished. But..."

She turned to study the room. "Maybe Charis changed that when she became the High Priestess. All of this had to come from somewhere. Have you read any of it?"

"Only what I could stomach," Ardyn said, opening a box labeled with a date of thirty-five years earlier. "Much of it is incomplete. Somnus worked hard to erase any hint of us. After about a fortnight of looking through these things, I... couldn't bear the mention of your name anymore, and I set it all aside. I did not think it important. It would not bring you back, and I was beginning to understand my role in this little story by then. Even if there had been a hint to my salvation, I would not have taken it. What was the point of a world without you in it?"

Though she had a job to do, Elpis let her heartache urge her over to Ardyn and hug him tightly, burying her face into his back. He set his hands on hers, pulling away only so he could turn to face her.

"Come now, dearest," Ardyn said. "All that is in the past. We have a future to look for now."

His words did little to assuage the hurt and anger raging inside of her. Elpis nodded all the same and pulled away to open the top drawer of a filing cabinet with the earliest date listed. "Why did Verstael gather all of this?"

"He was looking for me," Ardyn said, "and wherever you are mentioned, so am I. We are inseparable in much of these texts. Eventually he found the forbidden works by Lucian scholars that lead him to Angelgard, and he set all this aside."

Elpis frowned as she opened a file. Inside was a typed version of some old text that Verstael had found and transcribed. Her eyes caught on the word "Izunia" and found it was a description of the old tribes of the Lucian desert. After flipping through it and determining it to be a decidedly dry scholarly work, Elpis set it back.

Sighing, Elpis looked at the amount of work they had to go through. She could hope Magnus would take an especially long lunch, or...

Biting her lip, Elpis closed her eyes and breathed in the smell of the dusty room until she found a center within herself. She thought of Charis, of waiting and watching for hours as her mother went through labor and brought her tiny sister into the world. She thought of Charis' first steps, of how she would run after Elpis with earsplitting laughter. Of them both playing until Elpis took on her headscarf and the head jewelry that claimed her as the First Daughter, the future High Priestess. Even after that, they hadn't allowed distance to come between them. Elpis would still spend hours once a week doing Charis' hair, washing it, oiling it, braiding it and adorning it with beads and gold clips. It became their ritual.

Distantly, Elpis thought she could smell the heady scent of the oils she used, of the great tribe fire burning in the center of their camp. Laughter and voices speaking in a dead and forgotten language brushed against her, soft as silk.

 _Charis,_ she prayed, _please show me where to go. Guide me, little sister._

A box fell with a loud thud, landing in front of Elpis' feet. She didn't react past opening her eyes. A sense of calm settled over her as she looked at the files that now lay before her.

With a small smile and tears in her eyes, Elpis bent her head and thought, _Thank you._

"Are you hurt?" Ardyn asked as Elpis knelt to pick up the papers.

"No," Elpis said. "It didn't touch me."

She read the title of the paper in her hands and stilled.

 _THE GOSPEL OF CHARIS_

 _V.B.: This appears to be a story told by a High Priestess of the Izunia tribe. The paper it was written on was in remarkably good shape, considering its age and the cave it had been found in. The cave itself had runes etched into the stone around the entrance - perhaps a reason for the artifacts' preservation? Charis is mentioned in other files as being subject E's younger sister, though whether this is the same Charis despite the insistence of the narrator is unknown._

Verstael had placed colored tabs on the edges of the paper, marked with E, S.L.C., and ADA. 'E' must have stood for Elpis, while S.L.C. was Somnus, and ADA...

"Adagium," Ardyn said, peering over her shoulder and guessing the direction of her thoughts. "A charming title Bahamut and Somnus placed upon me in Lucis' own writings."

"I'm sick of their stupid titles," Elpis said. "Keep looking. I'm just... going to read this."

Ardyn paused, studying her, before nodding and stepping away back to his own box. Elpis leaned her back against a filing cabinet and began to read.

* * *

 _The king has gone mad. Even in the desert we hear tales of how he burns hundreds of people alive in his quest to rid Eos of the Scourge. Even those unafflicted with the Scourge are not spared._

 _Somnus Lucis Caelum was never meant to be king. The crown upon his head was stolen from another, and with it, the life of the sister I last saw two decades ago._

 _I am Charis, High Priestess of the Izunia tribe, second daughter to Drusa. Once, long ago, my sister Elpis gave her life for mine, and she was called away on a holy mission with a man who could cure people of the Scourge: Somnus' brother, Ardyn._

 _This is the truth as they will not acknowledge in Lucis: My sister Elpis was Bahamut's Chosen, the first Oracle to be blessed with light. Ardyn Lucis Caelum was the Chosen King, the one who should have sat upon the throne of Lucis. Elpis was to have been his Queen._

 _All that is gone now. Elpis is dead, slain at the hand of this Mad King, and Ardyn has been erased. As if he never existed at all._

 _But they did exist, both of them. I saw them that night before our fire; I saw the way they looked at each other. How Ardyn brought out a smile in my sister that no one else ever had before._

 _They existed, and though Somnus tries, they cannot be forgotten so easily._

 _I have dreams of them now. Elpis in a tattered white robe, standing watch over a chained creature writhing in agony and despair. Darkness surrounds them. I can hear wails echoing in that darkness. It is so filled with pain that it threatens to break my heart._

 _I am not the only one who dreams of them. There is another, who once traveled with Elpis and Ardyn, who looks to the stars and sees things the rest of us cannot._

" _Your sister will not be forgotten," she tells me. "I see her now, standing as a Queen in the center of a wildfire. Her life will flame once more."_

 _Other members of the tribe dream of her. They see her adorned in sunlight, as heavenly a body as the Astrals themselves. They see seven robed figures who stand with her. They see seven swords, all set upon the daemons of Eos._

 _They see my sister and her husband, happy in the daylight, the sun warm on their faces._

 _My sister will not be forgotten. We will not allow it. If these are visions, then my sister will walk the world once more - and she will claim what was stolen from her._

* * *

"El."

The urgent note in Ardyn's tone snapped Elpis out of her reading. Hastily she folded the paper and tucked it into her pocket. "What is it?"

"Something isn't right," Ardyn said with a frown. "Alexus should have been back with the others by now. It's taking too long."

Elpis sucked in a breath, trying to push away her spike of panic. She was already half out the door when she turned her commlink back on and nearly fell to her knees at the high whine of frequency that cut through her hearing.

"-Daemons!" She could just make out Ignis' shout and the screams in the background before the connection died once more.

As if to punctuate Ignis' warning, a loud siren began wailing throughout the lab, and red lights started to spin, casting the models of the daemons in dizzying, shifting light.

Elpis shared a long, grim look with Ardyn before they both took off running.

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I apologize for the long wait for this chapter. In between the Summer Reading Program at work, a long-lasting depressive episode, and kitten season, I've unfortunately been too busy and tired to write. But the SRP is over for another year, my kittens are growing, and I'm slowly kicking my depressive episode to the curb. Hopefully this chapter doesn't disappoint.

The image of Elpis and Ardyn on the tapestry is based on the Pieta.


	16. The Wild Flame

Ardyn grabbed Elpis' arm and pulled her back just as a crowd of people ran past them. Together, they pressed against the wall, his arm protectively around her. He heard Elpis curse and followed her gaze to her commlink, broken on the floor.

"It's still light out," Elpis said once the screaming had faded enough for her to be heard. "How did they get inside?"

"Daemons were kept in captivity here," Ardyn said. The Starscourge itched under his skin until he wished he could peel it away to get rid of the sensation. The daemons sensed something amiss, and they were displeased.

"Then how did they get _out_?" Elpis shook her head with a frown as she pulled away from the wall. With a lift of her hand, she summoned her red and gold stave, the fluorescent lights shining on the metal. "Something about this doesn't make any sense."

"My dear," Ardyn said as he joined her side, "this has long since stopped making sense."

They ran side by side in the opposite direction of the civilians, the crowd slowly thinning until they rounded a corner and came upon a horde of daemons. A flash of darkness was all Ardyn saw before a large bone scythe came down, aiming for Elpis. With a cry, she parried, and the daemons inside Ardyn's mind howled with fury.

" _Get away from her_ ," Ardyn growled, summoning his own scythe and in a single swipe cutting the Reaper in half. It dissipated into darkness with a dessicated moan. Before he could regroup, something passed him just as the Reaper disappeared and shoved Elpis against a wall. A Wraith wrapped its skeletal hands around her throat and squeezed with unnatural strength.

A horrible sound escaped from Elpis' throat, and suddenly Ardyn stood once more in Angelgard, watching as Somnus pulled his sword free of Elpis' chest. Darkness began creeping in at the edges of his vision as a howl he didn't recognize filled the corridor - and then something slammed into him from behind, pushing him to the floor, pressing his face against the hard metal. The daemons hissed and cried with triumph as they pinned him down.

With another howl that he realized was coming from himself, Ardyn gathered all the darkness in his body and forced it out. The pressure on his back released as the daemons were thrown away from his body. Jerkily, as his own daemons came to control more of his body, Ardyn rose to his feet.

Elpis had fallen to the floor, having killed the Wraith on her own. She met his gaze. "Ardyn," she said. "Control it. They're trying to-"

Whatever she would have said next was lost as a Snaga grabbed her hair from behind and, with unholy glee, began pulling on it hard. Gasping more with outrage than pain, Elpis slammed her head back and hit the Snaga in the face, stunning it enough for her to reach back and fling it off of herself.

Before the daemons could once again grab him, Ardyn slid through the shadows and took up space at Elpis' side. Starscourge dripped from his mouth and rage flowed through his veins. He noted his bones shifting and muscles changing absently.

Fire came to life in a circle around them, following the path of Elpis' stave. The daemons hissed as they backed away. With the momentary protection, Elpis put a hand on Ardyn's shoulder, grounding him.

"They're trying to make you lose control," she said.

He blinked slowly. His mouth couldn't form words. Even in his enraged state, Ardyn recognized the truth of her words. These daemons were acting with a plan of some kind, far better than the mindless, instinctual creatures he commanded. They followed Eos' desire, and with her power, they were able to think like the humans they'd once been.

With effort, Ardyn reined in his anger until he felt his body return to normal - or what passed for normal for him. Shuddering, he shook his head, trying to dislodge the hold the darkness had on his mind.

"Why?" was all he could say.

"I don't know," Elpis said. When he could finally look at her, her gaze was calculating as she took in the scene, her mind working away. Finally she said, "There are too many of them and this space is too small. We can't fight here."

In his mind, Ardyn envisioned his own mental map of the Keep. "They will follow us if we run," he said. "We can lead them to an open space near here and take care of them there."

Elpis nodded once. "On the count of three, I'm going to douse the fire, and we run like hell. Yes?"

"I agree."

Taking a deep breath, Elpis lifted her open hand, palm facedown, then counted. As soon as she hit three, she snapped her hand closed and the fire died. Ardyn grabbed her wrist and they ran, their feet pounding against the floor while behind them, the daemons gave chase. Every now and then Elpis would yell out a spell and give them more space.

"There!" Ardyn shouted, indicating a doorway to an open level. With an irritated huff, he swiped his ID card against the electronic plate, watching as Elpis slammed the end of her stave against the floor and sent out a shockwave to throw the daemons back once more.

"We have to find the others," Elpis said as she began to go through the open doorway.

Ardyn saw the daemons before she did. "El!" He pulled her back as a Gargantua's greatsword swept through the air, missing them by inches.

With a gasp, Elpis clung to him, her eyes widening as she took in the room. It was nearly full to the brim with daemons. "Fuck," was all she could manage. Ardyn was inclined to agree.

"This way," he said, pulling her away from the open room and back into the corridor. The two groups of daemons joined together into one horde as they ran once again. A Snaga grabbed onto Ardyn's leg and bit into the meat of his calf. Though he felt no pain, he did feel his muscles give way to the damage and stumbled. Ardyn summoned a dagger and stabbed it into the neck of the daemon, trying not to slow Elpis down. If it came down to it, he would survive the horde, simply due to his immortality. She would not.

Every door they came across, more daemons spilled out from them. A suspicion began to nag in the back of Ardyn's mind, a suspicion that was confirmed when he opened the doorway to the stairs and found them empty. He slammed the door shut behind them, wincing as the daemons began pounding against it.

As she caught her breath, Elpis shared a look with him that told him she was realizing the same thing:

"They're corralling us."

Grimly, Ardyn considered their options. "I gather that, were we to allow them to continue pushing us on, we would join back up with the others."

"I think you're right." Elpis' hand went to the ear she'd had her commlink in, then sighed in frustration. "The question now is, do we let them?"

They both looked to the stairs, one leading up, the other down. Ardyn knew what Elpis' answer would be. She would find Noctis and his friends and fight with them, protect them, until they all made it out of the Keep alive. And while a part of him would follow her anywhere...

Without much humor, he bowed to Elpis. "I leave the decision to you, my lady."

Elpis cringed as she heard the heavy footsteps of a Gargantua in the corridor. "You would leave them?"

"I would," Ardyn said without shame. "You are the only person that matters to me in this. If the choice were mine, I would take you from here and leave the others to their fates."

He watched as Elpis swallowed hard and wondered if this would be the thing that finally broke her faith in him. He half expected her to turn away in disgust. So when she took his wrist in her hand and began pulling him up the stairs, Ardyn could feel a faint glimmer of surprise.

"We continue on," Elpis said. "And we talk about this later."

And, loyal as ever, Ardyn followed. "As my lady commands."

Upwards they went, opening doors and then closing them again whenever they came across daemons. Whatever was left of Ardyn's heart ached for Elpis as she cringed every time she saw a victim that fell to the daemons. Soon he began to be the only one to open the doors and look out, sparing her the sight of the carnage.

When at last they came upon a door that opened to blessed silence and emptiness, Elpis' shoulders sagged as she leaned against the wall for a brief moment. Then she took a deep breath. "Where are we now?"

"Nearly to the topmost levels," Ardyn said, peering out into the darkness of the room beyond the stairwell.

Elpis pulled a body light out of her jacket pocket and clasped it onto her shoulder. Noctis had given it to her before they'd parted ways, in case their stay in Gralea extended into the night. "This is so stereotypically evil that it's ridiculous," Elpis grumbled, squinting out into the darkness as well. "Everything is literally a shade of black and there are nearly no lights."

"Iedolas emulated Lucis in almost everything," Ardyn said, his voice becoming quieter in case there were daemons about. He couldn't sense anything in the shadows, but he was quickly beginning to learn that that didn't mean much. Eos had a way of veiling her creatures from him. "While the Niflheim royal color is white, his Keep and his palace are black, just as Somnus' palace is."

Elpis was silent for a beat before saying, "I guess it is easier to clean than white metal would be."

"Dark blue is better for hiding blood," Ardyn said without thinking, then regretted his words.

Elpis cast him a glance, then made her way out of the stairwell, leaving his comment where it lie. Her footsteps were nearly silent on the metal floor, and though Ardyn could not feel the temperature of the room, he saw her begin to shiver after a time.

"Where does this lead, then?" Elpis asked after a moment, when they were both certain no daemons were waiting to attack.

"A hangar, mainly used for storage."

She frowned. "A wide, open space. I dislike that. And below this level?"

"The dormant magitek infantry is housed in the level below us, which I dislike," Ardyn said. "As well as Iedolas' throne room in the center of that. He abandoned the old Aldercapt palace once the Keep was built."

"Surrounded by his legacy of death and destruction," Elpis said. "All for the Crystal."

Ardyn hesitated briefly before saying, "About the Crystal, El..."

A muffled shout made Elpis jump, her stave coming up as she went into a defensive position. He joined her, the weight of his rakshaka blade a comfort in his hand. The shouting continued, and Ardyn slowly came to recognize the voices.

"It's them!" Elpis said, taking off without a thought. Ardyn bit back a curse and followed as Elpis ran up to a platform and to a closed door. Beyond the wall, they could hear the sounds of a battle, and Elpis hesitated only briefly before saying, "Open the doors."

Knowing there truly was no turning back after this, Ardyn opened the doors and let loose the chaos.

The hangar was full of daemons, and in the center of it all were Noctis and his friends. Prompto was on the ground, while Gladio shielded Ignis and Noctis from the worst of the attacks. Ardyn's eyes narrowed, something about the scene not quite making sense.

"About damn time!" Alexus hissed from beside the doors. They were bleeding from a deep gash on their forehead and holding their left arm close to their body. "The boys can't summon their weapons."

That was it. They weren't holding their weapons. Elpis blinked in shock, then she was off, stave held tight in her hand. She took a running leap, balancing on her stave and using her momentum to carry her forward, then brought it down right through a Reaper. It fell into halves, then disappeared into darkness.

"What the hell are you waiting for?" Alexus snarled as they wiped blood from their eyes. Their fangs were out, as were their claws, and fire burned in their bright green irises.

They were right. While he was trying to figure out what was bothering him about this set up, Elpis was already fighting, a brilliant burst of yellow in the black. Ardyn glanced at his rakshaka blade, still wondering, then pushed aside his doubts and joined his goddess in battle.

"Prompto!" Elpis shouted as she landed near him. She threw a bottle at him, which he caught with one hand then broke against his leg. His skin glowed briefly as the potion worked, then he was up again, his back against hers.

"Thanks," Prompto managed. "We gotta get outta here."

"They'll only follow us," Ardyn said, clearing a path towards them both. "They're pushing us towards-"

The air left his lungs as a Gargantua's greatsword slammed into him, throwing him back. The world tilted and rolled as he landed on the floor, the snap of his bones blocking out every other sound. Gasping, Ardyn fought to get himself back on his feet and to Elpis' side, only to find that his hip and left leg didn't want to work the way they should. They collapsed under his weight, sending him back to the floor.

I do not have time for this, Ardyn thought even as he felt the Starscourge begin to heal his wounds. Growling with effort, Ardyn pierced the tip of his blade into the floor and used it to haul himself up. Before him, Elpis kept fighting, Alexus at her side.

"Noctis!" Alexus yelled. "Put on the ring! It's the only way!"

A voice filled the room. "My ring!"

Ardyn stilled, his gaze going up until he found the source of the voice. Though he knew it to be impossible-he had killed the man himself-the creature that was the former Iedolas Aldercapt flew down from the rafters. His daemon form was a green, winged creature, with fangs that dripped venom and claws that could cut through ribs straight to the heart.

Iedolas let out an earsplitting shriek before swooping down at a dizzying speed, his talons aiming for Noctis. Ardyn pulled his sword free of the floor and threw it, the world turning red as he teleported in front of Noctis. His sword came up to meet Iedolas' claws, his left leg twinging as the bones continued knitting themselves back together. Gritting his teeth, Ardyn placed his weight on his right leg, then cut his blade through Iedolas' ankle. The creature let out a cry, flying away from the reach of Ardyn's sword.

Ardyn glanced back at Noctis, who paused before saying, "Thanks."

"This is getting us nowhere," Ignis said. "Alexus is right, Noct. If you put on the ring, you may be able to stop this."

Noctis looked to Ignis, then Ardyn. "Is that true?"

"I've not the slightest clue," Ardyn snapped. While they were wasting his time, Elpis needed him. "I do not know why you cannot summon your weapons in the first place."

"Could the Astrals have taken away his ability?" Ignis said, with dawning horror in his face.

Noctis growled with frustration, a feeling that Ardyn wholeheartedly shared. He pulled the ring from his pocket, his hands shaking - with fear or with fatigue, Ardyn didn't know and did not care to guess. He found Iedolas once more as the daemon made a circle over the group. He saw the creature's yellow eyes seemingly hone in on the ring in Noctis' hands.

And then it looked away from the ring to Elpis as she let loose a burst of light. It stung Ardyn's eyes and his skin tingled painfully. He heard Iedolas give a cry and the flap of its wings-

And then Elpis gave an agonized scream, Alexus' shocked voice joining hers. Ardyn forced his eyes to heal, then felt the darkness in him lurch as he saw that Iedolas had hooked his talons into Elpis' shoulder. Her stave fell from her hand and, sensing an opening, the daemons around her began to converge. A Snaga bit into her other shoulder while a Wraith came up from behind her and took hold of her neck. Alexus tried to fight them off, but their arm hung limply at their side, and their energy was quickly waning.

"Do it," Ardyn said, his voice cold. "Put the ring on, Noctis."

He didn't turn to look at the boy. He didn't need to. He could feel the change in the air as Noctis slipped the ring on, could feel the souls of all the Lucis Caelums who had come after Ardyn and before Noctis fill the space of the hangar. The daemons felt it as well. Iedolas' head snapped up to refocus on Noctis, his slavering mouth dripping venom that burned through Elpis' jacket to her skin.

At her pained cry, Ardyn felt himself move, his leg healed enough to support his weight. Rage pushed him on as he threw his sword straight into Iedolas' chest. He followed it a second later, grabbing the hilt and swinging the blade through the air. Iedolas' leg fell to the floor, taking Elpis with it. Ardyn landed next to her and let out an inhuman scream, daring any of the daemons to come near her.

Iedolas flew away once again and the daemons backed off as Alexus lit one on fire. Ardyn turned to Elpis as she writhed against the floor, her blood bright and stark against her ruined jacket.

"El," Ardyn said, putting a hand on her to steady her. "Hold still, love-"

All around them, the daemons suddenly howled in pain. Ardyn glanced up to see Noctis, his hand outstretched, the Ring of the Lucii glowing red on his finger. Red energy flowed from the daemons to it, and one by one, they all began to fall and fade away.

Then silence fell, broken only by everyone's panting. Ardyn turned away from the group and focused on Elpis. She locked her gaze on his, pain in her eyes.

"That could have gone better," she stammered after a moment. Iedolas' leg had long since dissipated, but the wounds on her shoulder remained. "Oh fuck, Ardyn, this really hurts."

"Shh," Ardyn said, brushing hair out of her eyes. "I know, love, I know. But it's over now."

"Uhh," Prompto said, "did you really have to say that? Seriously?"

"There are more daemons coming!" Gladio shouted.

"We have to run," Alexus said, pulling Elpis to her feet. Ardyn grit his teeth and tried not to snarl at the Messenger to back away from Elpis, instead putting his arm around her waist and steadying her. "Without our weapons, we don't have a choice. Come on!"

With no other options, they ran, following Alexus through another door. Ardyn lifted Elpis off her feet easily and carried her, bridal style.

"This is such a bad idea," Elpis gasped. "If we're attacked, you need to be able to fight back, and you can't if I'm in your arms-"

"I am not putting you down, Elpis, and that is final," Ardyn said.

"Stop flirting, you two!" Alexus yelled. They led the group through a corridor and into an elevator, hitting a button that closed the gates as soon as the last of the group was through the doors.

"Do we have antivenom?" Ardyn said.

"You're joking, right?" Noctis said. "We're out of everything."

"I'm fine," Elpis said, though the pallor of her skin said otherwise. "I just-my shoulder is numb..."

"I thought you killed Iedolas," Alexus said, pinning Ardyn with an accusatory stare.

"That was Iedolas?" Prompto said, gaping.

Noctis rubbed a hand over his face. "It wanted the ring."

"I did," Ardyn said.

"It didn't stick," Gladio said, deadpan.

"I see that."

Alexus spat out a word that even Ardyn did not recognize, but had no doubt it was a curse of some kind. The lift came to a stop and the doors opened to a clear room. "Come on, you idiots."

Ardyn lifted Elpis again and followed Alexus out. He was so focused on her, on watching as her skin lost its warmth, as she bit her lip to keep from crying out in pain, that he did not see where Alexus had taken them until he felt the power in the air. Until he recognized the blue glow that lit the walls.

"What the hell?" Noctis said as they all came upon the chamber that held the Crystal.

"Ellie!"

Elpis gasped. "Laelia?"

Ardyn stilled. Tied up in chains next to the Crystal were Laelia and Ravus. Too late, he saw the trap as it was sprung, and he felt a divine fire at his back just as the blade of a dagger found its way to his still heart.

* * *

"No!" Elpis cried out as Ardyn fell to his knees, keeping his grip tight on Elpis so that she didn't fall to the floor.

"Whoa!" Prompto shouted. "What the-"

Choking on the Starscourge that rose in his throat, Ardyn shuddered and let go of Elpis against his will. She managed to get to her knees and put her hand on his cheek, desperation lining every inch of her. Her hand found the hilt of the dagger and tried to pull it out, but something kept it stuck fast.

 _No,_ Elpis thought. _No, this cannot be happening, not now, not after everything-_

Alexus' black boots clicked against the metal floor as they walked past her. The coldness in their gaze as they looked at Elpis shocked her to her core.

"Alexus," Elpis said, "what have you done?"

Alexus sighed, running a hand through their bright red hair. "You know," they said, almost conversationally, "I once ate the heart of a queen who loved me because she had a power I wanted. I loved her as well. But I loved her power more."

Gladio took up a defensive stance as Alexus began to approach Noctis. The Messenger snorted and, with a flick of their hand, sent Gladio flying through the air until he hit a wall. Chains like the ones that held Ravus and Laelia appeared and crossed over him, tying him fast to the wall. Prompto and Ignis followed with shouts, until only Noctis remained.

"I love you, Elpis," Alexus said. "But I despise your Ardyn. Did you know that the Empire took my father's sleeping body and Ardyn infected him with Starscourge?"

Elpis looked to Ardyn and found the truth of Alexus' words in his eyes. The numbness in her shoulder was spreading down her arm - Iedolas' venom was working fast, helped by the pounding of her heart.

"What the hell are you doing?" Noctis demanded, stepping away from Alexus and onto the walkway that led to the Crystal.

"Noctis, no!"

"Ellie!" Laelia cried again. Ravus was fighting against his chains, but they held fast.

Alexus continued to walk towards Noctis. "Do not do a thing, either of you," they said to Noctis and Elpis, "or I will throw Laelia over the edge of the platform. It's a very long way down."

Elpis' breath caught in her throat. The metal floor pressed into her legs painfully and she felt a nausea rising in her stomach from the Crystal's aura. She had felt it once before, two thousand years ago. It had spoken to her and found her unclean, all because she loved Ardyn more than she loved the world.

The Crystal did not speak to her now but Elpis felt its gaze on her all the same.

Convinced that Elpis wouldn't move, Alexus turned back to Noctis. The predatory grace of a coeurl made them move almost mesmerizingly through the air, as if they were untouched by everything. As if Elpis' breaking heart, Ardyn's choking, Laelia's cries, and Noctis' confusion couldn't reach them.

Elpis had trusted divinity once again. This was her reward.

Alexus put a hand on Noctis' shoulder, their claws digging into his skin. With a pained yelp, Noctis tried to pull free. When that didn't work, he lifted the hand that wore the ring, only for nothing to happen.

White hot rage began to course through Elpis, dimming the pain she felt from her wounds. She stood shakily. "I trusted you," she bit out. "And all this time, you've... what? Been working for Eos after all?"

"I won't monologue or give you an explanation of anything," Alexus said as they began dragging Noctis towards the Crystal, which began to pulse. "Gods do not answer to humans. Why had you ever thought otherwise, I don't know."

Noctis bit into Alexus' wrist, which the Messenger regarded with a strange disconnect. Then they reared their arm back and threw Noctis towards the Crystal. He tried to catch himself, but his hand landed on the rough stone, his palm opening and blood beginning to trickle down. From their prisons, his friends yelled out. Noctis tried to pull his hand free of the Crystal but it was stuck fast.

"You have the ring," Alexus said, "and now the Crystal will take you. Absorb its powers, O True King. And when you at last come forth, the prophecy will be fulfilled." Alexus turned back to Elpis, a small smirk on their lips. "Destiny is written in stone. And I cannot wait to see your Ardyn burn."

Screaming with rage, Elpis ran forward, her stave in her left hand. Alexus stood still as Elpis approached, watching dispassionately, then disappeared as Elpis brought her stave down. It hit the Crystal next to Noctis with a sickening crack, bouncing off uselessly as the Crystal began to glow angrily. Elpis could only catch sight of something blue flying through the air before something struck her in her chest, right into her heart, electrifying every nerve and every inch of her. Her scream was joined by Noctis and the others, though why they were screaming, she couldn't begin to guess, and Ardyn, Ardyn was still suffering, and-

Elpis heard the cracking of the metal grates that made up the platform and the chains that held the Crystal aloft shaking. She caught sight of Noctis disappearing into the crystal just as the platform broke apart and, with Laelia's scream ringing in her ears, they all fell into the darkness below.

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I apologize for nothing.


	17. Perpetua Tenebris

Who's a heretic, child?  
Can you make it stick, now?  
And I'm on trial  
Waiting 'til the beat comes out

I'm miles away, he's on my mind  
I'm getting tired of crawling all the way  
And I've had enough, it's obvious  
And I'm getting tired of crawling all the way  
- _Which Witch_ , Florence and the Machine

* * *

Time stood still.

Distantly, Elpis knew she was falling. She could hear the roar of the air in her ears, could feel the whip of it against her skin, felt the way her stomach lurched into her throat from her sudden weightlessness. Her tears dried immediately against the wind. And yet all she could focus on was the dimming light of the Crystal above her.

The fading light, and Ardyn.

He fell after her, darkness trailing behind him like a foul cloud. Then it seemed to twist and change shape, though Elpis couldn't be sure, in her fast glimpses of him, but it looked-

It looked like a black wing.

Uncertain if she was hallucinating or not, Elpis nonetheless closed her eyes and held out her hands. The words she once spoke to a man long dead echoed in her mind:

 _I have faith in him._

The sudden lurch as something caught her hands made her shriek, breaking the strange peace she'd found in falling, and time rushed up to meet her once more. Fire tore through her good shoulder with a sick pop as the forceful stop of her momentum ripped through her body. And then, blessedly, she was held in arms that were all too familiar.

"El," Ardyn whispered against her hair, and despite the pain, despite the heartbreak, Elpis felt herself smile just briefly.

And then Ardyn lurched, gasping with pain, and she realized the dagger was still caught in his back. She heard the flap of his wing and felt them turn in the air, with him beneath her, before they began their fall once more.

"Ardyn-"

He pressed her head against his chest and said, utterly calm, "I love you."

And then they landed, and Elpis felt his body break beneath hers, and she screamed into the darkness.

* * *

Time passed. Elpis didn't know how much. Iedolas' venom was spreading further into her body, and her other shoulder had been pulled out of its socket, and she couldn't move, and Ardyn, Ardyn was-

Her mind shied away from the thought, from the truth of the limp body under hers. A quiet voice inside her warned that her mind was close to breaking again.

A shuffling nearby made Elpis finally force open her eyes. A fire burned nearby, and a hazy figure was stepping towards her, dressed in muted red and orange-

Her eyes snapped open wide and Elpis recoiled as Alexus approached her.

Alexus stopped, tilting their head, and something was wrong, they were Alexus but not Alexus, and Ardyn was still and cold under her hands, and-

The man, for it was a man, knelt in front of her. His bright green eyes regarded her face for a moment before flicking down to her shoulders. Before Elpis could do anything, he set his hand on the infected shoulder, and fire once more blazed through her, scorching the venom in her veins. It was over in a moment, yet it felt like an eternity.

"Don't," Elpis managed to spit out as the man began reaching for her other shoulder, "don't fucking touch me."

"You are wounded," the man said, as if Elpis had somehow been oblivious to that fact.

"And you're another gods damned Messenger, and I will kill you if you touch me, I swear to all the Six-"

The man frowned, then let his hand fall. His gaze fell to Ardyn. "The Accursed's physical form is dead," he noted, as if those words didn't cut straight through Elpis' soul.

Logically, she knew Ardyn would return. He was immortal. But for some reason, seeing his broken body was too much on top of everything else, and Elpis barely turned away in time before she threw up.

Once she was done, she tried to catch her breath, holding her dislocated shoulder. Everything hurt. And the others-where were they? Were they all dead? Was Laelia-

Elpis shuddered and closed her eyes. If she had given up her life to save her sister only to lose her now, Elpis didn't know how she could continue on.

When she turned back around, Ardyn's body had dissipated. The Messenger was still regarding her calmly, staying as still as a statue, so unlike Alexus' constant movement and fidgeting. Yet he looked almost exactly like them.

As if sensing Elpis' reluctant questions, the man spoke. "I am Rohit, eldest to Ifrit, known as the First Flame. It was from my fire that the spark that became Azar escaped." Rohit paused. "But you know them as Alexus, not Azar."

"So you're a twin," Elpis said, tired.

Irritation briefly flickered in Rohit's eyes before the same calm expression hid it. "If you prefer to think of it that way."

Something glinted in the corner of her eye. Where Ardyn had laid, Alexus' dagger was abandoned. Elpis couldn't see her stave, and she was too tired to try to summon it. She was defenseless against Rohit and she hated it.

Taking a deep breath, though she couldn't brace herself for this, Elpis said, "Are the others dead?"

Rohit blinked slowly. "No."

Something untwisted inside of her. Elpis took another deep breath before forcing herself to her feet. "Then we need to regroup," she said, toneless.

Silence followed her as she stumbled through the debris, her way lit by Rohit's flickering flames. Every step caused her shoulder to burn, but Elpis bit her tongue to distract from the pain and continued on. She half expected the fire to die away, but it stayed, even as she sensed Rohit was no longer with her.

She came across Prompto and Ignis first. Ignis had his arm around Prompto's shoulders, and both men were limping. Blood stained Ignis' front, nearly painting his white t-shirt completely red.

"How badly are you both hurt?" Elpis said.

"I'm okay, I think," Prompto said, "but..." He looked to Ignis, his expression pained.

She followed his gaze as Ignis lifted his head, and she bit back a gasp when she realized most of the blood was coming from Ignis' eyes. One of his lenses had broken in the fall, and shards were embedded deeply in his skin. Something like a burn stretched from his left eye down his neck and underneath his shirt.

"Do not concern yourself with me," Ignis said, trying to move his facial muscles as little as possible. "Noct. Where is Noct?"

Prompto looked to Elpis desperately, looking every inch his twenty years, lost and frightened. She wished she could comfort them both. She knew she couldn't.

"Inside the Crystal," she said.

"Is he-is he gonna come out? Ever?" Prompto said.

"Yes," Elpis said. "But I do not know when. I'm sorry."

Of the two, Ignis seemed to take it worse, at least outwardly. Elpis knew him to be Noctis' longest friend, someone who had pledged his life to his Prince's at a young age. Of course knowing he hadn't been able to protect his bonded brother against the whims of Gods and destiny was going to almost break him.

Then he took a deep breath and straightened his spine as much he could, and Elpis knew all too well the weight on his shoulders. "The others, then," Ignis said. "If we survived, then so too must they."

"How did you?" Elpis said.

"A Messenger," Prompto said. "It kinda looked like, uh, you know who."

"We've met," Elpis said, and left it at that. "Can you continue helping him, Prompto? My shoulder is dislocated. We need to find the others and get out of here."

"No need," a voice said, and they turned to find Ravus, Gladio, and Laelia approaching them. Ravus was carrying Laelia, who was limp in his arms, and Elpis' heart jumped.

Almost too terrified to find her voice, somehow Elpis managed a, "Is she-?"

"No," Gladio said, his tone surprisingly gentle. He laid a hand on Elpis' good shoulder. "She's just knocked out."

If she could have collapsed with relief, she would have. Instead Elpis told her knees to buck up and stayed standing. Relief flooded through her when she put her hand on Laelia's forehead and felt it was still warm. Still she asked, "Is she hurt?"

"Not outwardly, that we can tell," Ravus said. He pinned Elpis with a look that she didn't have the energy to decipher.

Gladio spoke up before Ravus could speak further. "We need to get out of here, and fast."

"We're in no condition to face whatever may be waiting for us outside the Keep," Ignis said.

"We've no other choice," Ravus snapped.

Elpis stepped forward before the children could keep bickering. "Enough," she said. "Darkness is going to be waiting for us outside, as well as daemons. Nothing we haven't faced before. We're going to get out of Gralea, find a safe place to heal, and once Ardyn catches up with us, then we can focus on what comes after that. Are we agreed?"

"Yes, ma'am," Prompto said, and the others followed with variations of the same response.

Gladio nodded to Elpis' shoulder. "Want me to take care of that?"

"Ugh, yeah." She still wouldn't be able to use her arm for a while after the bone was back in the socket, but if worse came to worst, she wanted the option of being able to use it if she had to.

Gladio worked his way around with the ease of a man who had popped a few dislocated shoulders back in, and soon the worst of it was over. As Elpis gingerly rubbed her shoulder to help lessen the swelling, a bark echoed throughout the chamber.

"Umbra!" Prompto said, waving his free hand. The small dog stood atop a pile of rubble, tail wagging fiercely. He jumped down and was soon upon them. In greeting, he sniffed everyone and licked their hands.

Elpis stepped away from him, and his tail lowered. Pitifully, Umbra knelt his front half down, making a soft whining sound.

"I'm not exactly fond of Messengers right now," Elpis said.

"Umbra's a good boy," Prompto said, sounding hurt on behalf of the powerful Messenger.

"Never mind that," Ravus said before turning to Umbra. "You've come to show us the way out?" At the dog's bark, Ravus nodded. "Then we follow Umbra."

Sensing she was outnumbered on this, Elpis decided to let it go. But if Umbra happened to turn on them, she fully planned on telling everyone she told them so before they died.

With Umbra leading the way, they found another path out of the chamber-a service entrance that had been broken open in the wreckage. The door led to more stairs. The lights were out, but red emergency lights helped illuminate the way.

Once they reached a level with a door, Elpis stopped them. She handed Prompto a gun she had taken from a fallen MT soldier. While the others still couldn't summon their own weapons, they would have to take whatever they could get. She saw a sword hanging from a scabbard on Ravus' hip, the hilt familiar enough to bring her pause. She couldn't focus on it long enough to figure out why it was familiar to her.

"Ravus, Prompto, I want you both to clear a path for us. I can help Ignis and stay back with Gladio and Laelia."

Gladio raised an eyebrow. "You sure your arm is up for a fight?"

"We don't have a choice."

"And while we stand here debating it, people are likely dying," Ignis said.

The group shared a grim look, save for Ignis, who Elpis was glad to see had at least stopped bleeding for the time being. Gladio took Laelia from Ravus' arms and it hurt Elpis' heart to see how tiny her sister was in comparison to Gladio, even when she knew most people were. She gently brought Ignis' arm over her shoulders, grateful that no one saw her wince as the weight was placed on her bad shoulder.

Ravus went to the door, then paused with a quiet curse. "We need an ID card to get through."

"Even with the emergency protocols activated?" Ignis asked in disbelief.

"You really think the Empire cares if people die because they can't get out of the most important building in Gralea?" Gladio said. "Their daemons and soldiers are more important than the people they supposedly protect."

"Um," Prompto said, then hesitated. Reluctantly, he took off a large cuff bracelet on his wrist, and when he turned it over, Elpis could see a tattoo of a barcode on the underside. He looked to Gladio and Ignis anxiously. "Don't… don't freak out, okay?"

"I can't make that promise, as I can't see anything," Ignis said drily.

Prompto grimaced, then approached the door. He held his wrist up to the scanner, which read the barcode, then beeped in the affirmative. The door stayed shut, but Elpis could hear the locks within clicking open.

"Okay," she said before the awkwardness could continue, "you can talk about this when we're all safe and alive in a place that isn't here."

Ravus, who had been mostly quiet-possibly because he felt as out of place within the group as Elpis did-let out a quiet breath of irritation before taking up a place on one side of the door.

"If we could cease delaying?" he said.

Seemingly assuaged for the time being, Prompto took up a place to the side of the door opposite of Ravus. "We ready, guys?"

"As ready as we'll ever be," Gladio said.

With one grim nod, Prompto aimed his gun, and Ravus pulled his sword free of its sheath. Then, with a press of a button on the electronic screen, the door opened to chaos.

"Whoa!" Prompto shouted as a dozen Snagas rushed towards them. He shot each one before they made it too close, but there were more daemons right behind them. The smell of gore hit Elpis, and in between the bodies of the daemons, she could see the remains of people on the floor.

 _All this,_ Elpis thought, _and for what?_ She was so sick of death.

Their escape passed in a blur for her. Ravus and Prompto were able to keep most of the daemons away from their injured trio, though once Elpis had to summon Ardyn's scythe and use it to clear a place for themselves. The weight of it caused her arm to scream, but she ignored it, pushed through it, refusing to die here. Refusing to let _Laelia_ die here.

And through it all, Elpis hoped for a glimpse of violet-red hair or the sound of a deep laugh.

The doors to the Keep opened as the sky briefly lit up with an explosion that rocked the ground beneath them. And then darkness fell once more. A few lights valiantly tried to fight against the black, but they kept flickering against the onslaught of daemons.

"Uh, guys?" Prompto said, sounding panicked. "That doesn't look good."

Elpis followed his gaze and a chill shot down her spine at the sight of a- _thing_ towering over the city. It didn't quite look like a daemon, though Elpis could feel the same malevolent energy emanating from it.

"What is it?" Ignis asked.

"You don't want to know," Gladio said.

"Verstael Besithia's greatest creation: the Diamond Weapon," Ravus said, his mouth a grim line. "Fused together with magitek, daemonic energy, and the bodies of the researchers who helped him create it."

"He's dead now, right?" Prompto said. "Please say he's dead. Because that's messed up."

Ravus cut a glance at Elpis. "Your Ardyn had a hand in its creation as well."

"Yeah, I figured," Elpis snapped. Something that sounded like a ton of fireworks launching at once made everyone cringe and instinctively take cover against the wall of the Keep. Missiles rained down from the sky and lit the city in shades of red and orange. Screams followed the explosions.

"We can't help the city," Gladio said, sounding as if he hated every word of what he was admitting.

Prompto looked pained. "But-"

 _Ardyn,_ Elpis thought, _Ardyn, where are you?_

"For fuck's sake," a voice said from behind them. Aranea briefly lifted her face guard up to be better able to glare at them. "If you can fight, then fight. If not, get your asses the hell out of the way for those of us who can."

"The civilians-"

Aranea cut Elpis off. "Biggs and Wedge are handling it." Her bright blue eyes considered their group, then narrowed. "Where's your king?"

At everyone's silence, her mouth formed a grim line before she nodded once, decisively. "Get out of here," she said. "I can handle the big guy."

"Uh," Prompto said, then fell silent once more at Aranea's quelling look.

"Commodore Highwind is right," Ravus said.

"Actually," Aranea said coolly, "I've turned in my resignation."

"I don't think there will be an Empire to serve after this," Gladio said.

"But, you know, good on you," Prompto added.

"Can we focus?" Elpis snapped. She looked to Aranea. "If you say you can handle it, I believe you."

Aranea gripped her lance once more as she walked past them. "If we survive, I'll try to find you," she said. "Seems like we're all going to have to stick together in the days ahead."

With that, she was gone, flying through the air like a Messenger. Elpis tried to track her once she got closer to the Weapon, but another explosion caused her to duck and realize she needed to focus. Still, everyone hesitated, and in their expressions Elpis could see how much it cost them to leave behind innocent people. Just as in Insomnia, the common people had no control over what the kings and gods did, and were caught in the crossfire once more. Theirs was the blood shed.

Rage simmered beneath Elpis' skin once more. And yet she still forced herself to turn away along with the rest of the party and run for the clearest path left to them: Out of Gralea, into an unwaking world.

* * *

While Gralea may not have been as expansive as Insomnia, it still took them what felt like hours to reach the edge of the city. Swarms of daemons seemed to meet them at every turn while debris from the Weapon's attacks came close to hitting them. Finally, finally, they reached a quiet corner of the city, still untouched by the battle. Other signs that people had fled surrounded them instead; bags left discarded on the ground, trash bins tossed aside out of a path, even shoes littered the pavement. The lights had long since gone out, and their body lights no longer worked. The only illumination came from the fires burning intermittently.

Elpis eyed the fires anxiously. She kept expecting Alexus to appear from behind one and attack once more.

They all filed into a small alleyway for a moment of reprieve. Gladio gingerly lowered Laelia to the ground and checked her pulse, giving Elpis a slight nod of reassurance as she hovered nearby nervously. Elpis helped Ignis to sit, then took up a guard by the alleyway's entrance. Adrenaline pounded through her limbs still, keeping her from being able to rest, and a part of her hoped to see Ardyn joining them once again.

She saw nothing but a quiet street instead. A new fear was beginning to settle in her bones, one that Elpis couldn't bring herself to face just yet.

"I hope Aranea's okay," Prompto said.

"She will be fine," Ignis said, his hand awkwardly hovering in the air for a moment before he found Prompto's shoulder. He set his hand there comfortingly.

Footsteps approach Elpis from behind and she tenses without thinking, her body preparing for an attack that never comes. Instead, when she turns, she finds Ravus glaring at her. Up close, she can now see that one of his eyes is a light purple. The boy looks almost hollowed out. His cheekbones seem as if they could cut through his skin. And yet, he had just gotten them through the apocalypse.

"Where is Ardyn?" Ravus asked-rather, demanded.

Later, she would be ashamed that it took her so long to put the pieces together. As it was, Elpis could only stare blankly at Ravus. In their time together, Ardyn had never mentioned the boy, nor of any bad blood between them. Then again, if Elpis had expected Ardyn to tell her of everyone he had made an enemy of, he would still be reciting the entire list.

Then she remembered that Ravus was Lunafreya's brother. And he had been in Altissia during the disastrous summoning of Leviathan.

"I don't know," Elpis said, watching Ravus carefully.

"I think you're lying," Ravus said.

"She has no reason to lie," Ignis said with reproach.

"She has no reason to tell the truth, either," Ravus said, which Elpis couldn't exactly deny.

"Hey," Gladio said, "your sister-"

Ravus immediately forgotten, Elpis spun on her heel and raced over to where Laelia was beginning to wake up. "Laelia!"

"Elpis?" Laelia winced and put a hand to her forehead, then looked at it in surprise. "Wait, where... are we...?"

"Careful," Elpis said as Laelia slowly sat up. She put an arm around Laelia to steady her. "We're in Gralea."

"Currently escaping it," Prompto added helpfully, shooting Laelia a crooked smile. "How you feeling?"

Laelia blinked slowly, then gasped. "Alexus! They came back to me in Lestallum-"

"-Just as I had found you," Ravus said. His hand was once more on the hilt of his sword, causing a shiver of foreboding to crawl down Elpis' spine. "As I had been looking for your sister. The woman Ardyn Izunia healed in Altissia."

"Right," Elpis said slowly. "I don't suppose we could continue this conversation, uh, later?"

Before Ravus could answer, Laelia gripped Elpis' shoulder, causing her to wince. It was still stollen from being dislocated. Elpis realized her covenant with Alexus must have been severed. A strange mix of relief and despair swelled at the thought, and only Laelia's voice distracted her from it.

"Alexus took us both," Laelia said, "they tied us up and took us to the Keep. They said they were giving us to you as a gift."

Distantly, Elpis felt something in the air shift. It almost reminded her of how the world changed whenever Ardyn was near, except darker, more malevolent and malicious. She could feel eyes on her but could not find what was watching their group in the darkness.

Exhausted, Elpis shut her eyes briefly before taking a deep breath. "We need to talk about this later, okay?"

She stood, trying to ignore Laelia's hurt expression, and found Ravus standing right behind her. Slowly, Elpis raised her hands in a placating manner. "I had nothing to do with Lunafreya's death," she said. "And I would have saved her if I could."

"Yet you still stand by Ardyn," Ravus said.

"I am _not_ doing the backstory thing right now," Elpis said. "But when Ardyn returns-"

"He will not return."

A familiar chill settled over Elpis' skin. Gentiana approached her, eyes closed and hands clasped. Her expression was the same calm one she always wore, and Elpis briefly wondered if it would change if she punched the Astral.

Instead, with a voice colder than anything Shiva could conjure, Elpis said, "Explain."

"The Accursed has been taken far from here," Gentiana said, "by the Draconian."

Her surroundings fell away, and Elpis found herself standing in an ornate room that she had only ever seen on television. Debris littered the marble floor, stained with what looked like dried blood. Elpis turned to find stairs at her back, leading up to a throne, and chained above that throne was Ardyn. The Crystal was behind him, a malevolent force that stood watch as Ardyn tried to pull at his chains. Formed in a circle behind both were swords.

"Ardyn!" Elpis shouted, then tripped as her foot found thin air instead of the first stair. She fell hard and, instead of standing, could only stay on her knees on the ground. Her vision blurred, and it wasn't until the drops hit her hands that she realized she was crying.

 _Anything but this,_ Elpis thought. _Anything but Ardyn being chained up once again. Please._

"He's in Insomnia," Ravus said, giving no indication he cared about Elpis. "Goddess, can you take me to him?"

"I cannot," Gentiana said. "A great wall has been raised around the palace. Bahamut has betrayed us all."

Somehow, Elpis found the strength and the will to stand. "You're a God. Find a way through the wall. What good are you if you can't break through a bloody wall?" Her voice became a shriek by the end and she slammed a fist into the wall nearest her.

"Ellie," came Laelia's terrified voice, bringing her back momentarily from her rage.

But then Elpis saw Gentiana's eyes open, and instead of the dark brown they were in her human form, they had become an ice blue. The Astral regarded Elpis impassively. "We cannot break through the wall."

Elpis bared her teeth. "Can't, or won't?"

"Hey," Prompto said, "maybe we should just-"

"Don't," Ignis said quietly, pulling Prompto away.

At Gentiana's silence, Elpis growled and forced herself to turn back to the entrance of the alleyway. She could hear the shuffling of feet, the crackle of darkness, the wordless noises of daemons approaching. Death followed them, thick and heavy. Ignis was likely blinded, Laelia traumatized, Noctis lost to them for who knew how long, and, far away in Insomnia, Ardyn was once more chained and left to suffer.

"Damn you all," Elpis said. "You call me Heretic, but it is by your own hands that I have become one. You have used me again and again for your own amusement. You have taken everything from me-not just in my first life, but this one as well."

She stepped out into the road and saw the horde of daemons coming towards them. Once they saw her, they all let out a cry of triumph. Elpis summoned her stave. "What did either of us do to deserve this? Because we loved each other more than the world? Were we too human?"

Gentiana had disappeared. Elpis smiled sardonically. "My prayers have been met with your indifference for thousands of years. Fine. I take your title of Heretic and bear it proudly. This Heretic will save herself and Ardyn-I will save us all from the gods."

"Ellie," Laelia cried out, and out of the corner of her eye, she could see Gladio holding Laelia back from approaching her.

"Hear me, you bastards?" Elpis screamed. "The Heretic forsakes you!"

Something cracked inside of her and energy flooded her body, forcing itself into her stave, where cracks appeared in the metal. With a wordless, raging scream, Elpis raised it and brought it down onto the pavement. Light exploded from her and her stave crumbled in her hands. The pavement fractured underneath her feet, and the daemons dissolved, and through the chaos, Elpis could hear the others cry out in surprise-but not pain. She would never hurt them.

Elpis felt herself stretch, not physically but spiritually, across the whole of Gralea. She felt each daemon die by her light. She felt the dead Weapon, felled by Aranea's hand, fade away.

And, somehow, she felt Ardyn shift in his chains, his face turning up to the darkened sky. She felt his smile.

"I have faith in you, El," Ardyn murmured. "And I will await you."

She reached out a hand for him just as her light faded and she returned to herself. The night fell around her, accompanied by silence. She felt weightless for just a moment more before gravity returned and the pavement rushed up to meet her as her legs gave way.

* * *

"What was that?"

Bellona did not immediately answer her twin's question. Nikolaos came to stand beside her, staring out of the open door of their safe house, which they had run to as soon as they'd heard the screams in the Keep. Bellona had forced her twin to come with her as her protector, though he should have stood with his army and saved the people.

Outside, where dozens of daemons had once stood, was nothing but emptiness.

Nikolaos cast Bellona a sideways glance, then pulled her from the door and slammed it shut. "Are you mad? The daemons could have killed you."

"They weren't paying us any attention," Bellona said, measured. It was almost as if they had been after a certain target and the members of the Aldercapt family hadn't warranted their notice at all. Bellona was almost insulted by it.

Nikolaos ran a hand through his hair. "Do you know what made that light?"

"No." The lie slipped from her lips easily. "It must have been one of Besithia's creations. At least, that is what we will tell everyone once the storm passes."

The look Nikolaos gave her was one she was becoming used to receiving: One that said she was mad. And, Bellona considered, perhaps she was. But only as mad as the circumstances called for. "How can you even think of propaganda at a time like this? The Empire is falling, Bellona. There will be no recovering from this."

Her poor twin. That was where they had always differed, she and Nikolaos. His imagination was so limited, his ambition lacking. Perhaps she had simply taken all of both in the womb and left nothing for him.

Bellona let him continue prattling. Yes, she'd known what-who-had made that light. A woman with golden brown skin, tightly coiled black hair, and brown eyes that had shone adoringly up at Ardyn Izunia as he had lead her through the Keep not even hours before. A woman who held herself with the grace of someone who had power.

Once, Bellona had found a secret room in Besithia's labs. And there, she had read the name Elpis Maelen.

Smiling to herself, Bellona tucked the information away for later. She would remember Elpis Maelen, no matter what happened next. Even if the Empire was reduced to nothing but rubble at her feet, Bellona would remember Elpis Maelen of the Izunia tribe.


	18. Bonds Broken and Forged

"Uh, hey."

Prompto's voice roused Elpis out of her thoughts. He was holding a bowl out to her and it took her a ridiculously long few seconds to remember that bowls generally held food. With a small nod of thanks, Elpis took the bowl from him and let the warmth of the stew inside warm her hands. She didn't have much appetite, but forced herself to take a few bites anyway.

After Elpis had cleared the entire city of Gralea of daemons, they had finally escaped the city proper. They had taken as long a break as they could risk while Elpis removed the shards of glass from Ignis' eye and stitched him up as best she could. He would never regain sight in his left eye, and Elpis had her doubts about the right. A burn, probably from Alexus or Rohit's fires, stretched from his face down to his shoulder, stopping over his heart. She had applied what little burn gel they had.

And then they had continued on. Elpis knew there was little time for rest in a world that belonged to the daemons.

They had found an abandoned car by the side of the road. It was an old truck, more rust than anything else, and its keys were still in the ignition. Elpis had found a trail of blood leading from the back of it off to the edge of the road, along with the prints of daemons.

"Should we be stealing a car?" Prompto had asked nervously as he and Elpis had climbed into the truck's bed. They were both the only members of the party that had experience with long range weapons and could fight off anything from the back. The others had crammed together in the front, with Gladio driving.

"They're not coming back," Elpis had replied, and left it at that.

Most of the ride had passed in silence. Whatever daemons they may have come across were kept far enough away by the headlights and by bullets. Slowly, Elpis' wounds had once more begun to ache once the adrenaline faded. She hated how dependent she'd become on the healing powers Alexus had bestowed on her and took a strange, sick pleasure in hurting now.

Once they neared Tenebrae, they came across a haven. Some people had gathered in it. Elpis didn't have the heart to tell them that the haven itself no longer held much power, now that Lunafreya was dead. Several bonfires lit the perimeter, forming a circle. It would have to be enough to protect them all. Elpis had walked by each one, waiting to feel eyes on her, waiting to feel Alexus' attention from the flames, but had felt nothing at each one.

She couldn't decide whether she was disappointed or relieved by that.

As they had all settled around a campfire of their own, Laelia had studiously kept her gaze down, never once meeting Elpis' eye. Elpis was too tired-too close to broken-to take much offense at it, or to let it hurt for too long. She was beginning to understand a little of how Ardyn and his daemon "fog" must have felt.

Her heart constricted at the thought of Ardyn, and Elpis forced more stew down her throat in order to focus on something else.

"So," Prompto said as he sat down cross legged on the ground, glancing around at everyone. "What happens now?"

No one immediately replied.

"I mean," Prompto continued slowly, "we've gotta do something. Right?"

Ravus, who had spent most of the night glaring at everyone, but mostly Elpis, didn't turn away from his position near the outside of their group. He had been staring out at the darkness for a while. Maybe keeping guard, or just not wanting to speak to anyone. He spoke now, though. "I will return to Fenestala," he said roughly. "The people there... will need someone to protect them."

His announcement was met with more silence. Prompto glanced over to Elpis, then to Gladio, then back to Elpis. He seemed uncertain who the leader of their merry band was now.

Elpis was more than happy to let Gladio take on the role. She had led them directly into the prophecy's hands. At this rate, she was likely to get everyone killed.

"I suppose we wait for Noct to come back," Gladio said, gaze on the fire.

"But what do we do until then?" Prompto pressed.

Ignis stirred. There was an impressive amount of pain killers in his system, so his speech was slower than usual. "What do you intend to do, Miss Maialen?"

"I'm going to Insomnia," Elpis said as she set aside the stew she couldn't finish. "I free Ardyn from Bahamut's prison."

Ravus turned towards her slightly. "You believe you can do such a thing?"

"I _believe_ I have no other option," Elpis said. "He was imprisoned for two thousand years. I refuse to allow him to go through that once more."

Laelia's gaze finally fell on Elpis' face before quickly flicking away.

Ravus made a dismissive sound. "If the Astrals cannot free him, what hope do you have? He deserves his fate," he said. "He is the cause of all this. Imprisonment is a light punishment."

"His fate," Elpis said slowly, coming to her feet, "is to be a scapegoat for all the world's evil, for the evil wrought by the hands of the Astrals. His fate is unacceptable to me. Anything less than his happiness is unacceptable."

Ignis' contemplative voice stopped Ravus from saying anything else. "If he were to be freed," Ignis said, "then perhaps the prophecy can still be changed."

Elpis thought of the blindfolded man next to the King of Light in the painting and did not have the strength to admit she was beginning to believe the prophecy would win in the end, after all.

"I mean, it's not like the prophecy had a lot of detail, right?" Prompto said. "It never said anything about Noct having to be inside the Crystal, or about Lunafreya dying. So it never said anything about what Ardyn should be doing while this is all going down, right?"

"No," Elpis said, considering Prompto's words. "Only that, as the Accursed Immortal, he would bring darkness and daemons to Eos."

"He cannot very well do that from inside a prison, can he?" Ravus said, and Elpis wondered if she could get away with punching the last of the Fleuret line in his sneering face. "If you free him, he could do just that. You should leave him."

"I already told you, that is not an option," Elpis said. "I understand your anger and grief-"

Ravus suddenly spun towards her and closed the distance between them. He loomed over her and Elpis tensed, waiting for an attack that never came. Instead Ravus merely glared down at her. "Do not," he spat out, "pretend to know anything about how I feel."

He turned on his heel and stalked away from the group. They let him go, none of them knowing how to help the Prince who had lost everything, especially when he didn't want their help.

Elpis continued on after a moment, her tone brisk. "I expect here is where we part ways," she said to Noctis' friends.

Gladio quirked an eyebrow at her. "Why'd you say that?"

Momentarily taken aback, Elpis could only shrug before saying, "I know you were only tolerating me for Noctis' sake. Because he ordered you to. So I've no expectation that you'll continue to journey with me, now that he's gone."

"Don't talk about him like he's dead," Prompto said quietly.

"If we were truly that opposed to your presence, we wouldn't have followed Noct," Ignis said.

"Don't mistake loyalty for blind obedience," Gladio said, then cringed and looked over to Ignis. "Sorry."

Ignis only lifted a tired hand, waving Gladio's comment away.

Elpis made a small noise in the back of her throat. "Can you blame me, exactly, when blind obedience is what I've seen from most of the people employed to the crown?"

"Perhaps not," Ignis allowed. "But we joined with you and Ardyn because we believed it was our best option to protect Noctis, and to save the world from the daemons."

"Even still," Elpis said, trying not to feel touched by Ignis' words, "the world will be crawling with daemons now, and once Eos and Bahamut know what I'm about, they'll be sending many after me. It'll be dangerous. Suicidal, even, to continue with me. You would be putting yourselves right in the path of the Astrals-"

A sudden crack made everyone jump and reach for whatever they could use as a weapon, save for Ignis, who merely tensed in his camp chair. Laelia had shot up to her feet and thrown her bowl onto the ground where it had broken, stew soaking into the dirt and turning it into mud. Her body vibrated with rage, and her eyes sparkled with unshed tears.

"I can't believe you," Laelia said, voice cracking. "I can't believe you're really going to-to go to that man, after everything. You didn't even know him two months ago! But you left me in Lestallum to go after him, and now you're going to get yourself killed for him, and-and-I don't even recognize you anymore! You're not my sister!"

The words settled uneasily in Elpis' chest. All she could do was quietly say, "No. I'm not."

Laelia recoiled as if struck, then, with a choked gasp, turned and ran off towards the center of the haven. With a small sigh, Elpis followed her, her legs heavy with exhaustion. Laelia didn't go far-couldn't go far, in the tiny haven. Elpis found her with a group of children, all ranging in ages from fifteen to five. When she saw Elpis, her chin took on a stubborn jut and she turned her back towards Elpis.

She was reminded, suddenly, of the time in the airship months ago, after Insomnia's fall. When Elpis had given her life to Ardyn for Laelia's safety, and Laelia had proceeded to let her emotions run roughshod over them all, and how Elpis had resented her in that moment for not allowing her just one second to process and mourn everything she had lost. And yet, she couldn't blame Laelia for being upset and showing it. She was only seventeen, still a child, and the world was undergoing an apocalypse.

And Elpis was not the sister Laelia knew. Of course Laelia would be upset. It did Elpis no good to resent her for the freedoms she had never allowed herself - the freedom to cry, to rage, to make things difficult for everyone else. In her past life, she'd known from her childhood that she'd one day be High Priestess, and so she'd trained herself on how to behave accordingly. After she was crowned at thirteen, Elpis had kept her emotions locked away, had forced herself to keep a level head in everything, had kept herself hidden from everyone else.

Until Ardyn came along and allowed her the freedom to simply _be_.

Elpis had to do the same for Laelia now. She had to allow her the freedom to simply be, even if it meant Laelia lashed out, even if it meant Laelia hated her.

The hushed words of the children finally reached her. One girl was crying as she clung to her brother, repeating, "Where's mommy and mama?" The brother had the shell shocked expression Elpis recognized. Hate burned in her for the Astrals, for Eos, for destiny. No child should ever have that expression.

Elpis came to sit at an empty spot in their little circle. It was across from Laelia, which was likely the only reason she didn't immediately stand and run away again. Laelia surreptitiously wiped tears off her cheeks.

"Hi," Elpis said softly, smiling at each of the children. The group regarded her suspiciously. "Who wants to hear a story?"

The teenagers looked dubious, and some of the children didn't look particularly enthused either. But the few that did leaned towards Elpis, eyes wide.

Elpis took a deep breath and fell into the familiar cadence of a storyteller. "Once, long ago, the Sun was cast out of the sky by her family, the moon and the stars. She came to wander Eos, and there, she met a healer who could turn monsters back into men. And she fell in love with his kindness, with his unwavering determination to save even the most wretched soul."

Ardyn's story fell from her easily, and soon, everyone was listening intently. Even Laelia, though she tried to pretend she wasn't.

"And so," Elpis finished some time later, "the Sun reunited with her lost love. And they lived happily ever after."

Most of the younger children had fallen asleep. The group began to disperse, save for Laelia, who merely stared at Elpis until the last child was taken away by its caretaker. Elpis let the silence stretch out. Whatever came next, it had to be for Laelia to decide. When Laelia stood up and came to sit next to Elpis, she didn't dare hope, didn't dare breathe for fear of breaking Laelia's fragile trust.

"Are you saying that was you?" Laelia asked at length.

"It was," Elpis said. "And the healer was Ardyn."

And so Elpis told Laelia the truth of herself, of her past life, of her love for Ardyn. She told Laelia about Charis, and about her indomitable mother Drusa, about the tribe she had loved more than anything until Ardyn came along. She told Laelia about Solheim, about the people she'd known there. She told her of the children she and Ardyn would have had one day, of the kingdom they would have built. She told her sister about Angelgard, about undergoing the Revelations, and how everything was taken from her. Elpis even told Laelia about Alexus and how they'd wound up where they were now.

After she finished, they both sat in silence for a while.

"You didn't really get to live happily ever after, though," Laelia said.

"No," Elpis said. "We didn't."

"And, like," Laelia said, shifting so she was facing Elpis, "it sounds like this guy isn't really your Ardyn anymore. You know that, right? He worked for the Empire. He helped make the magitek. He was the one who got the Empire into Insomnia for the attack."

Why did people keep assuming Elpis didn't know any of Ardyn's deeds? She had expected somewhat better of Laelia, so it stung more than it had when other people had given her the same treatment.

"He is and he isn't," Elpis said. "Just as I'm the person I once was and I'm also not." She raised a hand to stop Laelia before she could continue. "I know who he is. I know who he was. And I know who he might be, if he's cured of the Starscourge."

Elpis took hold of Laelia's hands. "Please, trust me. I know I've made it hard for you to do that lately, but please, trust me when I say that I know what I'm doing. Don't you think he and I deserve a second chance?"

Laelia met Elpis' gaze, bit her lip uncertainly, before saying, " _You_ do. I think he was already given a second chance when he got free of Angelgard. He didn't have to help the Empire."

What Laelia said was true enough. Elpis couldn't deny it. Frustration rose in her nonetheless in Laelia's childlike understanding of the world, of the Astrals and of destiny, lacking in any nuance or ability to see shades of grey. There were no good options for Ardyn or even herself as the world currently stood. No, Ardyn didn't have to help the Empire, but where else could he have gone? Insomnia would have hunted him down until he was back in Angelgard. He'd had two thousand years of isolation and torture weighing on him, two thousand years of the daemons and Bahamut whispering in his ear to twist his heart until it was bent on vengeance. Verstael Besithia being the one to free Ardyn hadn't helped, either. The man had never seen Ardyn as anything other than a very powerful and useful tool.

 _Remember this trick, Elpis,_ her mother had once told her two thousand years ago. _If you cannot bear the punishment you're about to hand out to someone, if you cannot bear to look at their faces, look to the back of the tent. Spare yourself._

She'd been shocked when her mother had suggested such a thing. Her mother, whose motto was to meet everything head on, face forward, chin high. Her mother had merely smiled sadly and said, _There will be times when even a High Priestess cannot protect her heart as well as she'd like._

How true that was. Against her sister, Elpis was defenseless.

Swallowing thickly, Elpis turned away from Laelia towards the campfire, though she still held on to her hands. "I understand if you can't approve or support what I'm doing," Elpis said quietly. "And I'm sorry, but you can't talk me out of saving Ardyn. I lost him once before. I can't let it happen again."

There was a tense silence before Laelia pulled her hands free of Elpis' grip, and with it, Elpis' heart broke.

"Sorry," Laelia said, her voice hushed. "You deserve better. He doesn't."

Elpis nodded once, not in agreement, but in acceptance of Laelia's decision. Standing, she brushed dirt off her jeans. "Whatever you decide to do next, I'll support you," Elpis said. "I'm sorry. I would have spared you from knowing the world like this, if I could have. I would have spared all of you from knowing what the Long Night was like."

"Too bad Ardyn didn't feel the same way," Laelia said, and Elpis couldn't stop herself from wincing.

Taking a deep breath to push her emotions down, Elpis turned and left her sister by the fire.

The haven had fallen mostly silent. Only the crackle of the fires kept her company, though Elpis did pass two people talking amongst themselves about how their cell phones still weren't working. Their voices slowly fell away as Elpis approached the edge of the haven and, without pausing, stepped past the boundary. The light from the fires soon gave way to darkness. The quiet of the world around her was familiar. There should have been bugs or frogs singing their songs. Instead, the world was silent, tensed, as if waiting for an attack.

Elpis found a small crop of trees and large boulders and sat down on one, letting the stillness of the Long Night swallow her. In a perverse way, it was almost like greeting an old friend.

She was being reckless and she knew it. Every second, more daemons would be spawning into the world. She could be approached by a Messenger or Astral out here. She couldn't force herself to go back to Noctis' friends, to Ravus' heartache and rage, to her crumbling relationship with Laelia. At least if a daemon attacked her, Elpis knew how to fight one of those off.

Familiar footsteps approached, heavy on the hard ground. Somewhat surprised, Elpis turned to see Gladio approaching her, a bright flashlight in one hand, one that wasn't turned on in his other.

"Trying to sneak off?" he asked, his tone making it clear it wasn't an accusation. He passed the other flashlight to her.

"No," Elpis said, then reconsidered. "Maybe. What are you doing out here?"

"Making sure the one person who might be able to help us in this mess doesn't get herself killed," Gladio said as he sat next to her. He did a slow pass of their surroundings with the flashlight, though Elpis could have told him there were no daemons nearby.

She almost retorted that she was effectively immortal, then stopped. Without the covenant with Alexus, she was mortal.

"Fix things with your sister?" Gladio asked after a long pause.

Elpis smiled without much humor. "No. Ardyn seems to be the line she isn't willing to cross for me. Which I get. Just because I forgave him doesn't mean everyone else should."

She could feel Gladio's eyes on her. "Why did you forgive him? The Astrals had their hands in this, too, but Ardyn's been helping for the last thirty years."

"Because," Elpis said, "I know that if he were released from his curse, he would spend every last waking moment of the rest of his life trying to atone for what's happened. I wouldn't have forgiven him if I thought he wouldn't work for that forgiveness."

"Huh," Gladio said. "Guess you'd know best out of everyone here. I hope you're right."

Elpis snorted. "I haven't really been right so far in this, have I?" With a quiet breath, she said, "I'm sorry for leading Noctis to the Empire. I'm sorry I wasn't able to save him from the Crystal. I'm sorry."

"Hey," Gladio said, putting a large hand on her shoulder. It was almost comical in the midst of their serious moment. "If you're gonna blame yourself, you have to blame us, too. I'm his Shield. I should have protected him better."

"How could you have, against Alexus and the Crystal?"

A corner of Gladio's mouth twitched in amusement. It took Elpis a moment to realize that was his point. She shouldn't be blaming herself for what happened. Frankly, with the odds they were up against, it was amazing they had all made it out alive. Then again, Alexus wanted them alive. Perhaps that was the only reason they were still breathing.

Absently, Elpis rubbed at the shoulder that had been dislocated. Without Ardyn here to help her bear some of the weight, the world was heavy, indeed.

"Have you decided what you're going to do next?" Elpis asked, to get the subject off herself.

"Ignis said we should find the Hunters and whatever's left of the Kingsglaive," Gladio said. "We help the world deal with this until Noct gets back."

Elpis wondered when that would be. A year from now? Five, ten, twenty? What if it took centuries? It had taken the Crystal thousands of years to gather up enough power to bestow upon the True King. Would it take that long for Noctis' body to absorb it? Would they all be dust when he returned? She desperately hoped not. It had broken Ardyn to be freed into a world empty of everyone he had loved, herself especially. She didn't want Noctis to have to go through the same thing.

Elpis bowed her head respectfully. "I wish you well on your journey, then."

"Still plannin' on going back to Insomnia, huh?" Gladio asked.

"I am."

"Guess that settles it, then," Gladio said as he stood. "We're coming with you."

Elpis blinked. "What?"

"You heard Gentiana," Gladio said. "Not even an Astral can get through Bahamut's wall. Seems to me like you're gonna need all the help you can get."

Wondering how she had somehow stumbled into earning Gladio's respect, Elpis slowly said, "That's very kind of you, but Ignis isn't in any shape to travel like that, nor fight. And besides," she continued when Gladio looked ready to argue, "I would rather you escort Laelia safely to Lestallum. It should still have power, thanks to Exineris."

"Ravus had a point, you know," Gladio said. "He was an ass about it, but he was right. You can't handle this on your own."

Elpis bristled even as she knew Gladio was right. Sighing, Elpis rubbed her forehead. "I think we should talk about this later," she said. "All of us are exhausted and still recovering from the Keep. If we can, we should get as much rest as possible now. It might not be so easy later."

Gladio let her drop the subject without objection, for which she was grateful. Together, they began making their way back to the campsite. Only once did Elpis pause and turn around to look back into the darkness. Glowing red eyes stared after her. Elpis met their gaze for a long moment before turning and following Gladio towards the firelight.

* * *

"They're right, you know."

Elpis slowly opened her eyes, blinking in shock when she saw sunlight shining in through the ruins of a building. She reached out a hand towards a sunbeam, then stopped. It held no heat to it. In fact, the world around her seemed flimsy. She could feel the pressure of the dirt floor she was sitting on, but could not feel the dirt itself. It was disorienting and, for a moment, she wondered if this was how Ardyn experienced the world now, through a film of fog.

Ardyn. That had been his voice. She recognized the building now. They were in Solheim, and this was where she had taken off her headscarf for Ardyn, had let him undo her dress, had whispered "I love you" into his bare skin over and over again.

Elpis turned and saw Ardyn as she'd once known him sitting behind her. He smiled, and the kindness in it made her want to weep.

Ardyn wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Dear Elpis," he sighed. "You cannot break through the wall. I beg you not to try."

"I have to," Elpis said, shaking her head. "I can't let you be imprisoned again."

He ran a finger down her cheek, and unlike the world around them, she could _feel_ his touch. The callouses on his hands were rough, yet she loved them, loved them for what they represented: A man who worked hard to save the people he loved.

"It's nothing I've not been through before," Ardyn said lightly. "I was warned this might happen, years ago. Bahamut threatened me with this when he thought I wouldn't comply with his plans."

Elpis added Bahamut next to Leviathan on the list of Astrals whose asses she looked forward to kicking.

"You will die trying to break the wall," Ardyn said. "And you cannot sneak through it, either. So, please."

The urge to argue, to yell, was so strong that Elpis had to bite her tongue hard. They were both damnably stubborn and arguing would get them exactly nowhere. Still, she had to try to change his mind. She had nothing left to try.

"Please don't ask this of me," Elpis said, her voice quiet. She pressed her forehead into his chest, fingers digging into the fabric of his white healer's robe. "Do not ask me to leave you like this."

"Then do not make me ask it of you," Ardyn said, his tone slightly teasing as he put a hand under her chin and brought her face up to his. His blue eyes were bright in the sunlight. "I have gone through all of this before. I can survive it. I cannot survive your death again, which is exactly what will happen should you go up against Bahamut now."

He kissed her gently and all of her willpower almost melted away. When the kiss ended, Elpis licked her lips, trying to savor his taste, only to realize he had none in this strange world.

Bitterly, she said, "Then I have to wait for Noctis to return. Is that what you're saying? I have to pin all my hopes on the Crystal returning him to us soon?"

"I don't ask it of you so lightly."

"Yet you ask it all the same."

"Ah, my dear, stubborn Queen," Ardyn said with a small laugh. "I would love nothing more than for you to tear down the wall and rescue me in your shining armor. It cannot be now."

Elpis shook her head helplessly. "So I'm to just knit by a fire and twiddle my thumbs."

"No, love," Ardyn said. "You'll do what you've always done."

Elpis waited to hear what that was, but at Ardyn's silence, she realized he had vanished. Solheim faded and the haven she was sleeping in took its place. Elpis blinked up at the blank sky. She couldn't tell how long she'd been asleep. Looking over to her companions, she saw that they were all still resting, none of them needing to take up a watch while in the haven. Laelia slept furtherest away from Elpis, her face peaceful in slumber.

With the feeling of Ardyn's lips on hers still tingling, Elpis stood and once more made her way out of the haven. She switched on her flashlight once she was far enough away.

What had she always done? What had she done in the first Long Night? She had healed people of the Starscourge, yes, had helped Ardyn heal people's ailments. She had helped rebuild Solheim and turned it into a haven out of the ashes Ifrit had left it in. She had helped people.

Elpis reached the spot where she and Gladio had spoken the night before. Instead of sitting, she stood, and she waited. When six red eyes appeared in the darkness, she merely held out a hand to it.

With a small shuffling noise, the Cerberus daemon came out from the dark. It shied away from her flashlight and gave a small whine. It was much smaller than the other Cerberus she had once heard about, though it was still bigger than a chocobo. It had a limp in one of its hind legs though Elpis could not see any external injury to it. Yet somehow, Elpis knew this was the same Cerberus that the Empire had once caught and used in its army. Somehow, it had been formed into a smaller size.

"Are you going to eat me?" Elpis asked, her tone conversational.

Cerberus whined again before approaching slowly, all three of its heads bowed towards her. Gently, it stuck its middle head under her hand, then waited.

"Good boy," Elpis said. "Did Ardyn send you to me?"

Cerberus let out a small yip, its alarmingly long tail thrashing back and forth. It seemed that even a daemonized dog was still a dog. One mention of the person it loved and the tail would start off.

"Well, you won't exactly win me any friends among the humans," Elpis said, scratching Cerberus behind one of its ears - or what she thought was one of its ears. It was hard to tell. Cerberus seemed to enjoy it nonetheless. "But I'll like the extra defense against Eos' daemons."

Cerberus let out a sound that was a mix of a roar and a bark, jumping excitedly. Elpis could only smile.

"Let's go, boy," Elpis said, patting her thigh to signal Cerberus should follow. Together, they made their way from the haven. Noctis' friends would be fine without her. Laelia would be safer with them, and Elpis knew they would see her to Lestallum. Ravus wouldn't miss her at all.

What had she always done, in Solheim and now?

"Do you want to hear a story, Cerberus?" Elpis asked. "Once, a very long time ago, the Sun fell in love with a healer..."

Elpis knew the answer now: She had given people hope. Sometimes, that was the only weapon and tool one had left. She would wield it well, as always.


	19. The Long Night

**FIVE YEARS LATER**

She was going to die.

Cora bit back a cry as she hit the floodlamp on her truck with the palm of her hand. It flickered hopefully for a moment before guttering out, leaving the road in front of her dark. The hiss of a Naga followed the sudden darkness. The sound crawled down Cora's spine.

"No, no, no," Cora mumbled desperately, reaching for a flashlight on the passenger seat. It was a last ditch effort. She hesitated before turning it on. Would it really be better to see her death approaching? The light wouldn't deter any daemons for long. Already she could see a few gathering nearby, breaking off from their packs to follow the scent of her blood.

Something hit the back of her truck, forcing a shriek from her throat. Cora turned the flashlight on and spun around in her seat to see the shape of a daemon jumping into the bed of her truck. It scratched long claws at the back window, setting Cora's teeth on edge.

Heart pounding in her ears, Cora turned away and saw flashes of other daemons approaching the truck. As so many people had learned in the last five years, glass and metal did not keep them safe from the daemons. Not once you had a herd as large as the one gathering on her now.

The flashlight fell from her trembling hands and landed on the floor. Numbly, Cora reached for the gun with the single bullet that was carefully kept in the glove compartment. She had hoped she'd never have to use it. Better to die by a bullet in the head than a daemon's claws around the heart.

A sudden roar made her stop, heart jumping into her throat. The daemons let out shrieks that sounded... terrified.

A large shape suddenly ran past her truck. Cora only caught a glimpse of burning fire before it passed. She heard what sounded like a gurgling sound, then a thump in the bed of her truck again. Cora took the flashlight back up and watched as someone speared the daemon through the chest, then cut its head off. It dissipated slowly. The figure paused before jumping on to the roof of the truck. Cora followed the footsteps until the person landed on the hood. Her flashlight shone off a red and gold metal stave that the person held in one hand, then a red blade in the other.

And then she saw the yellow jacket with the single wing on the back and her breath caught.

The woman jumped from the hood and speared her stave through a Naga's heart. She used the Naga's own body as leverage to twist around and bring her blade through its neck. As it disappeared, she landed gracefully on her feet, waiting for a breath to see if there were any other daemons around.

There weren't. The Cerberus daemon had seen to that. It approached the woman, tail wagging, and her sword disappeared as she reached out a hand to pet each of its three snouts.

Then the woman turned to Cora, her one yellow eye shining in the flashlight. For a moment, all Cora could think was, "she looks so sad." There was a somber air about the woman that made Cora's heart hurt for her.

Somehow, Cora managed to open the door and step out of the car. "It's... really you."

Elpis Maialen smiled slightly and took down the hood of her yellow jacket, letting her long black curls free. A reddish-orange scarf hung on her shoulders, dangling past her waist and wafting in the cool breeze. Her clothes were dirty, her sensible hiker's boots spattered with mud and other things Cora didn't want to think about. Briefly, Cora caught a glimpse of light scars on Elpis' collarbone and cheek, the results of a daemon's claws.

"You're safe now," Elpis said. She whistled briefly and moments later a black chocobo came running up to her side. Heavy sacks hung off either side of its body, behind its saddle. To Cora's surprise, it didn't appear at all afraid of the Cerberus. In fact, the daemon circled the chocobo playfully, as if it hadn't just killed several other daemons and could easily rip all of them into pieces without any effort.

Elpis turned back to Cora. "Can you ride a chocobo? You could ride Vincent, but not many have taken me up on that offer."

Cora blinked, feeling stupid. "Vincent?"

"The dog."

The Cerberus daemon- _Vincent_ -yipped happily. The sound was loud enough to hurt Cora's ears.

"I... I'll ride the chocobo."

Elpis whistled again, putting a hand on the chocobo's beak. "This is Aquila." She said something that Cora didn't catch and Aquila stooped down to Cora's height.

Cora got into the chocobo's saddle while keeping an eye on Vincent. Then she hesitated and looked back at her truck.

"Leave it," Elpis said as she got onto Vincent's back. Cora tried not to stare in disbelief. "I can send Hunters out from Lestallum to retrieve it once we arrive."

Her vision blurred, and with some embarrassment, she realized she was crying. Hastily, Cora wiped her eyes. There was so much she wanted to ask. All that she managed was, "Do they have soap in Lestallum?"

Elpis let out a quiet laugh. "And hot, running water."

"Thank the Six."

Something shuttered in Elpis' expression as she turned away from Cora. She said something in a language Cora didn't recognize to Vincent and then she was off before Cora could ask what was wrong. Aquila followed without any encouragement from Cora, and with Elpis leading the way, they made for the one of the last cities in the world.

* * *

Lestallum had changed since the first time Elpis had visited it five years before. What had once been a medium resort town had become a labyrinthine city that would likely surpass Insomnia in size if the Long Night continued. A makeshift wall had been erected in an attempt to claim more land from the daemons. Every few months they had to set up a new wall to accomodate the people still making their way into the last lit city in the world. The result was something like an onion: There was an outer layer, and then several others beyond it, and people crammed into every square bit.

Elpis left Vincent in the outside, under the anxious gaze of the few Crownsguard soldiers who kept watch at the gate, and helped Cora down from Aquila once they were inside. She left Aquila at a stable with the chocobo rancher who had raised him. Then it was time to take Cora into the city.

Lestallum could not build fast enough for the influx of people. Tents surrounded the city, all muted colors so as to not catch a daemon's attention. With so many people came food, and with food came rodents, and following the rodents came the cats. Lestallum was littered with them now, easily outnumbering the humans. Elpis had no doubt some of them were spying for Alexus. She'd seen neither hide nor hair of the Messenger in five years since Zegnautus. That didn't mean they weren't still around.

As Elpis led Cora through the maze of tents, people began greeting her. Children ran up, their bare feet dirty, and clung to the ends of her jacket. Word soon spread that she had returned. She could hear excited shouts and a rise in the buzz of voices that surrounded them.

Soon, she'd be swamped with people. For now, she had a refugee to tend to.

Cora Argyris, as Elpis came to know, was a twenty-one year old girl from Tenebrae. Her family had been killed by daemons, leaving her the only survivor. It was a common story now.

"And you decided to make your way to Lestallum by yourself?" Elpis asked as they ventured into the city proper. The Hunters had set up something of a headquarters at the old Leville, and it was where most refugees had to go first to get recorded, receive basic starter supplies, and then shown a room they could stay until they had elsewhere to go. Even if it was a tent.

"I didn't have anyone else," Cora said. She was a quiet mouse of a girl, actually, with muddy brown hair and brown eyes, pale white skin and freckles across her nose. "I didn't want to wait for another Hunter group to go out, either."

"Hmm." Elpis hated it when the refugees lied to her about their origins. People had their stories and she accepted that. She never pushed them to divulge those stories, but neither did she stop people if they decided to trust her with them. All she asked in return was that they be honest.

She wouldn't pry the truth from Cora. Others were not so respectful.

"I personally don't care if you lie to me," Elpis said, causing Cora to jerk in surprise. They stopped outside of the Leville, far enough away from prying ears. "But the Hunters are a little more thorough in their questions, so I suggest you come up with a better story than 'I didn't want to wait'. They try not to turn anyone away, but if they think you're going to bring trouble to the city, they will turn you back out."

Cora trembled. She was a nervous girl, as Elpis had surmised during their time together. All refugees were. It would take weeks, maybe months, for the hypervigilance to slowly fade from Cora's body. For some people, it never did.

"Though if they do," Elpis said, taking pity on the girl, "you can find me again. There's one other place you can go, near Insomnia."

Cora peered at Elpis uncertainly. "But it's overrun with daemons. Even I've heard that."

"Yet in five years, they've not come across the bridge to the mainland," Elpis said. She motioned for Cora to follow her once more. "It'll be fine. The man who runs the last bastion is practically immortal. He'll outlive all of us through sheer spite alone."

Ignoring Cora's bewildered look, Elpis led her to the doors of the Leville. She had to wait a moment for Cora's eyes to adjust to electric light once more before they could go past the foyer.

"It's beautiful," Cora breathed as her gaze flitted about the receiving room. "Gods, I never knew I could miss light so much."

Elpis only made a quiet noise before going over to the intake desk. She tapped on the safety glass a few times and soon a man wearing a Hunter's uniform appeared.

Crispin's brow relaxed when he saw it was Elpis. She'd been surprised to find him alive during one of her first trips to Lestallum after the Long Night began. When they had first met back up, he'd been a changed man, no longer the swaggering, arrogant pain in the ass he'd been in Insomnia. He was quieter and carried himself stiffly, always waiting for an attack. He'd lost a leg in the attack on Insomnia, but that hadn't stopped him from joining the Hunters and rising through their ranks quickly.

Only once had he asked for her company again, and when Elpis said no, he never asked again. She was surprised to find they had something of an easy companionship, if not exactly friendship.

"Elpis," Crispin said by way of greeting. "We weren't expecting you back so soon."

"Isn't your wedding soon?" Elpis asked. "Edric said he wouldn't ever forgive me if I missed it."

To her amusement, Crispin's cheeks tinged pink. Coughing slightly, he nodded to Cora, who stood behind her. "Newcomer?"

"Yep." Elpis gently pushed Cora towards Crispin, who came out from behind the intake window. "The Hunters will take care of things from here. If you need me, I'll be out in the city. Don't worry," she added at Cora's worried expression, "you'll be able to find me. Later, Crispin."

She left the Leville and took a deep breath. The scent of firewood burning and food cooking eased some of the tension in her shoulders. Around her, streamers and banners had already been hung in preparation for the wedding. Elpis smiled faintly at the sight of them. Happy events were few and far between. When they arrived, the entire city participated. Crispin would have people attending his wedding that he didn't even know.

The thought of weddings soon brought a shade of melancholy, though, so Elpis set it aside and went to find something to eat. She didn't have to look far. Everyone recognized her yellow jacket immediately and came up offering her a place at their fires. It felt too awkward to impose herself on a single family, though, so Elpis merely gave them her thanks before moving on. Soon she found a communal food area and settled herself down with a bowl and some bread. She estimated she had about five minutes of peace before someone approached.

In the end, they gave her four minutes.

Something tugged at her jacket, and a young girl with brown skin and her hair carefully parted and braided peered at Elpis with wide eyes.

"Sunniva," Elpis said with a small smile. She patted the girl's cheek affectionately. "I see you're well."

The girl pinned Elpis with a somber look. The left sleeve of her dingy pink dress was pinned up to her shoulder. She had lost the arm to a daemon that had killed her parents; Elpis had spent hours fighting to keep her from dying from blood loss.

Elpis broke off some of her bread and gave it to Sunniva. At the mullish expression on her face, Elpis paused. "Ah. Of course I brought a gift."

She dug around in her backpack, gently pushing aside her few remaining potions and other healing items, before she found what she was looking for. Motioning for Sunniva to turn around, Elpis then tied the red silk ribbons to the ends of Sunniva's two braids. "There. Do you like them?"

Sunniva turned back around and inspected the ribbons with all the intensity a four-year-old could muster. Then, gravely, she nodded once before a smile broke out on her face, outshining the sun for which she'd been named. She hugged Elpis tightly before running off to show her ribbons to her friends.

Silk ribbons were stupidly impractical in their new world-more than likely, they'd tear apart before the year was out-but that only made them all the more important. Everyone was already so focused on just surviving. Impracticality was a necessity to survival as well.

Elpis had time to finish her meal before Sunniva was back and pulling her along by the hand to a building Elpis was all too familiar with: The orphanage. The second biggest hotel in Lestallum after the Leville had been converted early on during the Long Night to provide a roof over the heads of the many, many children who ended up in the city without any adults.

A few children were outside the front of the building, playing with a ball that they promptly abandoned the second they saw Elpis. She had about a second to brace herself before the surprising weight of several children slamming into her legs all at once hit her.

"Auntie Ellie!"

"You're back!"

"Did you bring any candy?"

"Yes, yes," Elpis said, laughing quietly. She gently disentangled herself from the horde and gave each child a tight hug. Somehow she managed to corral all of them back into the orphanage before all the rest spilled out onto the street. Sunniva held her hand the entire way, watching everything with solemn eyes that did not belong on a four-year-old.

For the next hour, Elpis was pulled this way and that by the children, handed numerous drawings to fawn over and given updates on the lives of every doll or plush animal in the building. One girl, Delphina, was enormously proud of her new skill of drawing funny faces, which she proceeded to demonstrate for Elpis over and over.

As the time passed, Elpis felt some of the tension in her body loosen. Being around children was, in a way, uncomplicated. The fact that most of them were still able to smile despite their scars-some physical, some mental-gave Elpis something akin to hope.

"Will you tell us a story, Auntie Ellie?" one boy, named Reimund, asked.

"Don't I always?" Elpis answered.

All the children already knew the story of the Healer and the Sun. Everyone in Lestallum did. While it was the favorite of some of the children, Elpis had found they could be the harshest critics, and they were unafraid to voice their opinion if she tried to repeat a story. So, over the years, she had taken to coming up with new ones. Some of them were merely retellings of tales already out in the world that she changed; some of them were far older, forgotten stories from her tribe and the desert, given life once more by her voice.

They all had one thing in common: Somehow, Elpis always worked in Ardyn, and herself. Somnus could keep his Cosmogony. Elpis would write her own.

When Stella found her a while later, Elpis was sitting by a large fireplace, surrounded by children. Most of them had fallen asleep to the cadence of Elpis' voice. Others were silent, listening raptly, as she finished her tale.

"... And so, armed with the knowledge from her sisters, the Beauty freed the Beast from his curse. He turned back into the handsome King he had been long before. Together, they ended the spell on his castle and its inhabitants. And, of course, they married at dawn the very next day. They ruled well and kindly, and lived happily for the rest of their days."

Elpis paused significantly. "How could I forget? They also fought the wicked wizard who had placed the curse on the Beast and his kingdom, but that is a story for another time."

Amidst the disappointed groans and pleading for Elpis to tell that story, a girl named Calla scrunched up her nose. "I bet the King was cuddlier as a Beast," she said, with all the knowledge of an eight-year-old.

Stella, who had been watching from the doorway, hid her smile behind her hand. "Come on, everyone," she said, "it's time to get ready for bed. No, you may not stay up another five minutes," she said, clearly long used to bedtime grumblings and negotiations.

"Not exactly what you imagined you'd be doing post-army, hm?" Elpis said as the children filed out, herded by the eldest amongst them.

With an easy smile, Stella shrugged. "I don't know what I wanted to be after I was out of the military," she said. "This isn't bad, though. I'm happy enough here. It could be worse."

Unbidden, Elpis thought of the people she hadn't gotten to in time, the towns that had slowly fallen to the daemons. _Yes,_ she thought. _It could always be worse_.

She tilted her head back until it rested against the back of the chair and closed her eyes. "I brought back some medicine and supplies," she said. "They're still in one of Aquila's bags at the stable. I'll bring them by in the morning."

"There's no rush," Stella said. "All the children are healthy, considering. We've gone months without an outbreak of anything - not only here, but in the city itself. The Hunters are keeping things in check."

Feeling eyes on her, Elpis opened one of hers and saw Stella studying her critically. "I'm fine," Elpis said automatically. "A bit sore, but I rode hard these last few weeks."

"It doesn't help that you're riding on a daemon most of the time, either," Stella said. "You've lost weight, and you look exhausted. You need to rest."

"There will be time to rest after the Long Night is over."

"Sure, if you don't kill yourself before that happens," Stella said. "Elpis, come on. It's been five years. We're in this for the long haul, and you can't keep running yourself ragged. Stay for a week or two."

It was funny, Elpis mused. Ardyn would have told her the same thing. And hadn't she been the one to urge him to slow down, two thousand years before in Solheim? They had both been unfamiliar with the concept of taking it easy. Not while there were people who needed them.

As always, the thought of Ardyn brought a painful ache to her heart. Elpis managed to take a deep breath past it and moved on.

"Maybe," Elpis said, having absolutely no intention of staying past Crispin's wedding. Movement by the doorway caught her eye and she saw Sunniva peering into the room. "What is it, sweetie?"

Frowning, Sunniva turned to look at something out in the hallway. The click of heels on the wooden floor preceded the appearance of Aranea in the doorway.

"You look like shit," Aranea said by way of greeting, hands on her hips.

"So I've been told," Elpis said.

"Language!" Stella admonished, covering Sunniva's ears. She cast a glance between Aranea and Elpis. "We're not done talking, Elpis. But I'll leave you both alone for now. Come on, Sunny."

Once they were left alone, Aranea closed the door and went to sit opposite Elpis. She looked well, as if the world weren't an unending nightmare. Then again, some people adjusted better than others. Aranea had done so through pure will and probably a side of spite.

"I don't appreciate playing messenger," Aranea said. "You know you're supposed to go right Dave and the others when you get back before you do anything else."

"Eh," Elpis said, pulling at a thread on the armrest of her chair. "I don't have anything to report. And I'm not a Hunter."

"A fact which pisses them off more by the day."

Elpis shrugged. It wasn't that she distrusted the Hunters, exactly-far from it, they'd proven themselves competent and more than able to handle the job of taking care of the world. She knew she could depend on them for help when she needed.

It was more that they didn't trust her. They hadn't, not since learning of her connection to Ardyn Izunia. They tolerated her presence because she could move freely in the outside, because she could scavenge and bring back supplies they desperately needed. They had an uneasy relationship borne of necessity. Elpis intended to keep it that way. It was easier.

Aranea rolled her eyes. "Did you at least get the Meteorshards to Cape Caem?"

"Yes. Libertus is making progress on getting electricity there."

Aranea made a noncommittal noise as she sat back in her chair. There was a pause between the two of them before Aranea sighed and said, "I'm not supposed to share any information with you."

Elpis' brow rose. "Official orders? Have I been shunned? I'm honored."

"Bahamut's balls, you're almost as bad as that Chancellor of yours was," Aranea said.

"I think I hate you for making me think of Bahamut's balls."

"I gotta get a little payback where I can for how much of a pain in the ass you are."

"Of course, one has to wonder whether Bahamut has any balls or not-"

Aranea looked like she was ready to murder Elpis, so with a small smirk, Elpis motioned for her to continue. "No, you haven't been officially shunned, but it was heavily implied that we're not to speak to you about official Hunter business."

"Hmm," Elpis said, watching the fire. "I'm surprised it took them five years to make that decision."

"They were waiting to see if you'd come around to their line of thinking."

That rose a laugh out of Elpis, surprising her a little. It wasn't a sound she heard often anymore. "Well, I suppose that's that, then."

Aranea scoffed. "Please. I don't listen to suggestions. If you want me to do something, say it, don't imply it. You want to know about your sister first?"

Did she? Five years on and the pain of their fight had yet to lessen. Elpis kept tabs on Laelia for her own peace of mind, mostly, but she was beginning to wonder if it was time to stop. Her sister had moved on, it seemed. Maybe it was time for Elpis to do the same.

"Sure," Elpis mumbled, unable to resist.

"She's still in Tenebrae with King Ravus," Aranea said. "She's basically helping him run the place now, for the few people still left there." She paused briefly before saying, "There's rumors they're a thing now."

Appalled, Elpis gaped. "He's _eleven years older_ than she is!"

"So your sister digs older men. Bully for her. Maybe she can help him find the stick that's probably still shoved up his asshole and get it out."

"No," Elpis seethed, standing up and beginning to pace. "I knew I should have marched back to Tenebrae and dragged her out of there when I heard she was staying there. He took advantage of her! He-"

"Thank fuck, you do still have some life in you," Aranea said. "Sit down before you hurt yourself. I lied to see if I could get any reaction out of you, because frankly, I've seen Wraiths with more energy in them than you have right now."

Elpis could only stare before biting out, "That wasn't funny."

"Wasn't trying to be. Anyway," Aranea continued, ignoring Elpis' glare, "Prompto is still mainly around Hammerhead, staying close to Cindy like the lovesick puppy he is. Gladio is in the North quadrant. Ignis and Talcott should be coming back to Lestallum next week. If you wait, they'll probably have some new things for you to go over."

Having sat back down, Elpis pulled a woven blanket over her and settled further into the chair. "I won't be here by next week."

"So you're still on the 'overworking yourself to death' plan?" Aranea stood and approached Elpis' chair until she was looming over her. "What the hell use will you be if you die?"

Elpis sighed and burrowed into her blanket. "Aranea, not now. I'm not going to die. Not until-"

"-Not until you can rescue lover boy," Aranea said, rolling her eyes. "Heard that before. Maybe you should start proving it by taking care of yourself. You think those kids out there don't see how tired you are? Think they don't worry about you?"

That stung. Elpis glared at Aranea from over top of her blanket. "That was a low blow."

"You wouldn't listen to logic, so low blows are all I have left."

Elpis stared at the fire. Only a few years before, she hadn't had many people to look after her. She hadn't accepted their help. Now she had an entire city chasing her down to make certain she got enough food and rest, and Elpis didn't know how to react to it at all.

Finally, with a tired sigh, she said, "I'll stay for a week. No longer."

"I suppose that's the best I'm going to get out of you, so I'll take it," Aranea said, backing away. "I'm serious about the rest, Elpis. You're no good to anyone if you die. Cut the martyr shit out."

Soon Aranea's footsteps were fading down the hall. Elpis closed her eyes and felt sleep beginning to slink in on quiet feet. Ardyn had never appeared in her dreams after the first time five years before, yet she still hoped each time she fell asleep that he would be waiting for her.

 _How much longer?_ she wondered just as she closed her eyes.

* * *

Ardyn opened his eyes.

For a brief moment, he didn't know where he was, or even who he was - there was some blankness inside him, nothing where there should have been something, but he couldn't put his finger on what.

Then he heard the high, gleeful laugh of a child, and any other thoughts vanished. Leaning back against the tree, Ardyn watched as a young girl with warm brown skin and his smile chased a rabbit through a field of flowers. Beyond her was a lake, the water shining and inviting in the midday sun.

"Aurea," a voice called, "leave the poor dear alone. They can die from fear."

That voice. He knew that voice-

Elpis blinked down at him. "What a strange expression you have, husband. Are you well?"

Words failed him. She wore a yellow dress with black hemlines and on her head rested a diadem. She wore no headscarf, so her black coiled hair was free to the breeze. She sat down next to him, pressing close to his side, and peered at him with a worried expression.

"I..." Ardyn said, then stopped. He put a hand to his forehead, closing his eyes with a wince. There was something wrong. What was it? He paused as he felt his long hair, saw that it was brown and not-not some other color.

 _What other color would it have been?_ Ardyn wondered. He gazed at his hand, at the blue veins underneath his pale skin. Somehow, he expected them to turn black. _What a strange thought._

"I think you must have dozed off again," Elpis said, bringing his attention back to her. Gently, she moved him until he was lying down, his head in her lap. Smiling fondly, she combed her fingers through his hair. "Was it another dream?"

"I think," Ardyn said slowly, "it must have been."

"Daemons again," Elpis said, and her tone was so sure that Ardyn had to agree. It must have been a dream about daemons. "The Long Night is behind us, love, and Aurea is playing in the sun. Somnus and the rest of the Kingsguard are with us for protection. You need not fear the darkness anymore."

 _Darkness,_ Ardyn thought. _Night, the Long Night, Noctis-_

 _Noctis. Who was that?_

The faint bark of a dog caused his thoughts to trail away, and Ardyn almost focused on it before Elpis ran a finger down his cheek and throat to his collarbone.

"Don't think about," Elpis whispered. "Stay here with me, my love. You have everything you ever wanted right here. Do you not?"

Ardyn felt himself relax into her touch, into the sound of his daughter's laughter, from the warmth of the sun. "Yes," he murmured. "I do."

He closed his eyes against everything else.


	20. Tomb of the Mystic

"Miss Elpis. Uh, Miss Elpis?"

Elpis woke with a gasp, her hand instinctively pulling a dagger out of her boot. The silver of the blade flashed in the firelight as she swung it towards the voice-

And then she barely stopped herself from ramming it through Talcott's throat.

The boy's skin paled, eyes wide with fear, and it took Elpis' brain a second to catch up. Then, with a slowly released breath, she dropped the knife to the wooden floor where it landed with a dull thud.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, backing away from Talcott. Her hand trembled and she clenched it. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."

"N-no," Talcott said. It broke her heart to hear him try to sound brave and how his voice cracked despite his best efforts. "I shouldn't have surprised you. I'm sorry, Miss Elpis."

Elpis rubbed her eyes, loathing her hypervigilance, how it didn't allow her to relax even in what was meant to be the safest city in the world. What if she hadn't stopped herself? What if she had killed a child because she was too used to sleeping in the outside, where monsters were only all too happy to try to kill her in her sleep?

"Don't blame yourself," Elpis said, her voice hoarse from sleep and restrained emotion. "Just... don't."

Standing unsteadily, causing the woven blanket to fall away from her, Elpis moved away from Talcott. A wave of dizziness threatened to overwhelm her, but Elpis pushed past it and forced herself to keep walking. Briefly, she considered that Stella and Aranea had a point - she was running herself ragged. More often than not, she didn't eat as much as she should, saving whatever food she had for the survivors she found. She didn't sleep much anymore, either. If she slept, it meant someone might die. If she stayed awake, then she could maybe-

"Maybe I can save just one more person," Ardyn had said, in a time long since past. "If I only work a little harder-"

"You have to rest," Elpis had told him. "I don't care if Bahamut himself came down to us right now and said you had to keep working. I would tell him to-"

Ardyn had turned towards her and pressed a finger to her lips, smiling fondly, a small heat in his blue eyes. "Careful, my divine," he had said, quietly. "Touched as I am that you would turn heretic for me, I shan't ask it of you."

Elpis put a hand against the doorframe and leaned against it heavily. Each of her muscles were tense and hurt to move; there was a weary ache deep in her bones.

It wasn't just that if she worked hard enough, she could save everyone. Maybe if she made herself hurt enough, it would keep others from being hurt as well.

"Miss Elpis?"

Elpis kept her head against the doorframe and her eyes closed. "Yes, Talcott?"

"Are you... okay? Should I get Miss Stella or Ignis?"

"No," Elpis said. With the worst of the weakness gone, she stood upright once more and squared her shoulders. "I'm fine. Just need something to eat. Let's go see what's in the kitchens. We can eat while we wait for Ignis to come back from the Hunter's Headquarters."

Although he looked like he wanted to argue, Talcott merely nodded and joined her as she made her way to the kitchens. Thanks to the Hunters and the kindness of everyone in Lestallum, the orphanage was one of the places that always had an abundance of food. Volunteers came by every day to prepare the meals.

Judging from the relative silence coming from the rooms, Elpis had slept through breakfast, and the volunteers had left to tend to their other duties until dinner. Lunch was no longer really a thing people did - instead, they snacked throughout the day, then ate a large meal before bed.

The marble counters of the kitchens were laid out with food that anyone could come by and grab. Elpis sighed as she picked up a roll. She was heartily sick of bread. Unfortunately it was one of the few things that could still be made in the Long Night. What she wouldn't give for some of Erastus' cooking these days.

As she rummaged around in a refridgerator for butter, Elpis called out to Talcott, "Did you find anything?"

"Yeah!"

Over the last five years, Ignis had taken to exploring the world, looking for anything that could prove helpful in overcoming the prophecy. For a time, Prompto and Gladio had joined him. Then, as they all began to go their separate ways, Talcott had stepped in to help. Now, if Elpis happened to be in Lestallum at the same time as Ignis, he had her go over what he found. Most times, it was nothing. Sometimes, she caught a brief reference to herself or Ardyn in an ancient text, a dizzying experience. Those times were rare. And so far, they hadn't found anything of use.

A long pause followed Talcott's exclamation, long enough that Elpis finally glanced over at him.

His uncertain eyes met hers. "But... Ignis said we have to wait for him."

Elpis paused in the middle of buttering the roll. She eyed the boy. "Why is that? Where did you go?"

"Um," Talcott said, clearly torn. "We went all over, at first. But Ignis wanted... to go to the Disc of Cauthess before we came back. He said he had a, uh, 'hunch'. Like the kind my grandpa used to get."

"Okay," Elpis said, uncertain why going to the Disc had left Talcott nervous. She briefly tried to remember anything she learned of the Disc in school, years ago, but she had always been bored with the lessons about the Gods and Kings. All she could come up with was that the Disc was where the Titan had resided until Noctis had forged a covenant with him five years before. Now there was only the Meteor and the powerplant.

 _Who knew the lessons I ignored in school might actually come in handy one day?_ Elpis thought idly. Now that she had her memories back, she recognized her disinterest for what it was - her past life echoing into her new one, trying to tell her that something wasn't quite right. She simply hadn't been able to hear it for what it was at the time.

Talcott watched her warily as she heated up a bowl of oatmeal for him. The smell of warm cinnamon filled the air. Finally, he said, "Don't tell Ignis I said anything, okay?"

"Sure."

"The Disc was where the Mystic's tomb was," Talcott said. "Y'know, the Founder King?"

The spoon she'd been holding clattered to the floor. Her scar twinged painfully as she gripped the edge of the counter to steady herself. The microwave beeped cheerfully, but Elpis didn't move to take Talcott's oatmeal out of it.

Finally, after a beat, she said, "Oh."

Her mind whirled. Vague memories of looking at pictures in a history book at school came back to her. The blurry outline of crumbling cruins, the line of the Titan's hulking form, and then an illustration of what the tomb might look like. Somnus had been buried there, after he had died of old age, something Elpis had never had the chance to do. Something Ardyn had never had the chance to do.

Swallowing down her anger, Elpis merely nodded once, then gave Talcott his oatmeal.

"Okay," was all she managed.

"I really shouldn't say any more," Talcott said.

"I'm surprised you were able to hold yourself back as much as you did."

Talcott's entire face burned red as Ignis appeared in the doorway of the kitchens. "S-sir! I'm sorry-"

Ignis waved away Talcott's anxiety as he carefully approached the island. Since he wasn't often in the orphanage, he wasn't as sure in his footsteps as he was elsewhere in the city. The tip of his cane hit the side of the island and his hand found a stool. Ignis hoisted himself up with more grace than most others.

"Welcome back," Elpis said, already filling a kettle with water to start a batch of Ebony.

Ignis nodded his thanks once she set a mug in front of him. Turning slightly in Talcott's direction, he said, "Would you mind leaving us alone, Talcott?"

Eager to make amends for earlier, Talcott nodded quickly and rushed off. They both waited until his footsteps receded deeper into the orphanage to speak.

"Aranea told me the Hunters don't want you speaking to me," Elpis said.

Ignis took a sip of coffee before saying, "Rather bold of you to assume I care what they want."

Elpis squinted. "Were you-did you just quote a meme?"

"I did know something of the internet before," Ignis said, his tone dry. "I cooperate with the Hunters for now, but I'm not part of their organization. I tell them what I believe they need to know. When it comes to information pertaining to you or Ardyn... it's a need-to-know basis, and they don't need to know."

How was it that she had inspired at least two people to play rebel? Elpis wasn't certain how to respond to such a sentiment-at least, not when it wasn't coming from Ardyn-so she merely nodded.

"It's true that we found something at Somnus' tomb," Ignis said. "A door, which I believe leads to a dungeon or labyrinth, like the Pitioss ruins in Hulldagh Pixe."

"You believe?" Elpis asked. "You don't know?"

"No," Ignis said. "Because the door wouldn't open. We tried."

 _I think I don't like where this is going,_ Elpis thought.

"There was a sigil on the door," Ignis said. "In the shape of a sun."

 _And there it is._

"You think you need me to open the door?" Elpis scoffed lightly. "That's something of a leap. Why would he construct something that could never be opened? That labyrinth would have had to have been built after I died, and as far as he knew, I was never coming back to the mortal realm."

Elpis paused, remembering the document that Verstael Besithia had called the Gospel of Charis. In it, Charis had said others had dreams about her, about her coming back to life.

Was it possible Somnus had a similar dream?

"I don't know," Ignis was saying. "But I do know it may be our only way. And if there's something inside, it may be important. Those ruins have been studied by scholars for centuries, yet I've never heard of a door that couldn't be opened by anyone or anything. Talcott almost didn't see it at first. It's as if it was keeping itself hidden until now. This may be the thing that can save Noct."

"And if it's not?"

"Then we keep searching."

Elpis pondered Ignis' words, her gaze on her hands. Somnus had tolerated her for Ardyn's sake when she'd been alive, and she had likewise been distantly civil. If Ardyn hadn't been the glue keeping them together, neither one of them would have spoken to each other much at all. Had he felt any remorse at her death by his hand? He had over Ardyn's death. She had seen it. But her own...

The idea that Somnus created some secret dungeon that only she could open was preposterous. The chance that there was anything inside of value had to be one in a million.

And yet.

If there was something that could save Noctis and Ardyn beyond that door, that could prove a way around the prophecy, then wasn't her choice made for her? How could she go to Ardyn in Insomnia one day knowing she hadn't exhausted all avenues? Knowing she hadn't looked into every possible path, every possible hint? She owed him better. Not only Ardyn, but Noctis and his friends as well.

Elpis owed them all whatever she could give.

Finally she said, "Okay. Let's give it a try."

It was all she could do.

* * *

Though Stella huffed in annoyance, she couldn't stop Elpis from setting out again. It helped that the Disc wasn't far from Lestallum; by chocobo, it wouldn't take them long to reach at all.

They said their goodbyes to Talcott and Stella at the stable where Elpis had left Aquila. Talcott was obviously disappointed that he wasn't getting to go as well. Ignis had deemed it too much of a risk, and Elpis had agreed. Neither one of them knew what, exactly, waited for them behind the door. It could be nothing, but they weren't willing to put Talcott in any more danger than he was usually in when he traversed the daemon-infested world.

Vincent met them at the city gate with happy yips. Ignis' chocobo gave a worried quark and ruffled its golden feathers, calming only when Ignis stroked its long neck.

Their journey passed in companionable silence which was broken only by the occasional quark from the chocobos and Vincent's paws hitting the ground. Every now and then Elpis saw eyes glowing in the woods and knew that daemons were watching her. They never attacked, which meant they belonged to Ardyn and not Eos or Bahamut. Somehow, even after five years, Ardyn's daemons were almost reverent towards her, and they never attacked. The ones that did were not controlled by him.

It was one of the few reasons she could freely move about in the outside. For a time, Elpis had tried to stay in various towns to see if her presence would keep the daemons at bay entirely. It had worked on Ardyn's daemons, though they howled furiously at the outskirts to be let in. It had not worked with the rest; in fact, they seemed drawn to her. Eventually she stopped staying anywhere for more than a day or two.

Now, nothing stopped them on their path to the Disc. The highways were still in good condition and would last for another twenty years-though Elpis hated to imagine the Long Night lasting that long. It was harder on the chocobos to run on concrete, but they had little choice, as the woods had too many small spaces for them to be ambushed. The open space of the highway would provide better room for them to fight if they had to.

Once the woods gave way to the grasslands and cliffs of the Disc, they let their chocobos rest a moment. As she surveyed their surroundings, Elpis began to fidget, a new worry working its way into her mind.

Somehow, without seeing her, Ignis picked up on her anxiety. "What is it?"

"I'm just now questioning the wisdom of going underground," Elpis said, a slightly wry note in her voice. "If I were Eos and I wanted to kill someone, burying them underground would be a good way to do it."

Ignis frowned. "The thought had crossed my mind as well. It's a risk we'll simply have to take."

"Then again," Elpis said, "I'm pretty sure that they've had a lot of chances to kill me by now."

"Which begs the question of why they haven't," Ignis said. He pushed his darkened glasses up, a sign Elpis had come to recognize as him thinking. "If I had to make an educated guess, I would say they're waiting for something."

"They don't believe we can win," Elpis said quietly as she petted Aquila's neck. His feathers ruffled happily. "They think the prophecy will play out exactly as they want it to, so what's the point in even wasting energy killing me now? Noctis is in the Crystal, Ardyn is..."

She swallowed hard, unable to say it. If she thought about it too long, she was liable to break down entirely. "Anyway. Is this really where Somnus was buried?"

Ignis accepted her change of subject easily. "No," Ignis said. "All the regents are interred at the Citadel. These tombs were merely dedications to the lands they claimed in life, and decoys for those who may want to deface them. There's a reason why most of them still stand and were never destroyed by the Empire; they knew the remains were in Insomnia. In any case, the Mystic's tomb was destroyed during Noct's meeting with the Archaeon."

Somehow, Elpis felt better knowing that she wasn't about to be near Somnus' remains. What would she have done if the tomb were still present? Would she have let her rage rule her and destroy it? Or would she have simply let it be?

There was no way to know now. Elpis pushed the thought away.

Once the chocobos had rested a bit, they continued on their way. At some point in the last five years, the wall surrounding the Disc had begun to fall, most likely beginning with the earthquakes caused by the Titan during the covenant and then later by daemon attacks. That meant they could simply ride their chocobos on through and not have to worry about scaling it.

Vincent, however, seemed hesitant to walk on the ground. His three noses sniffed at the air, then he whined, pawing at the dirt. Six eyes stared balefully at Elpis.

"What's wrong?" Ignis asked.

Instead of answering right away, Elpis jumped down from Aquila. Kneeling, she put a hand to the ground. A slight tingle spread from her fingertips up her arm until she pulled her hand away.

"This was holy land for millennia," Elpis said to Ignis. "Five years isn't long enough to dispel Titan's effects on the earth. That's why the daemons attacked the wall so often so they could get inside. Once they did, they could corrupt the area until it was no longer painful for them to walk on it."

She patted each of Vincent's heads and knelt in front of him. "It's okay," she said. "You don't have to follow me in. Ardyn would understand."

Actually, he probably wouldn't. The man was known to put himself through hell to stay by her side and would expect nothing less of his creatures. But Elpis didn't tell Vincent that.

Vincent whined again. Elpis smiled and scritched his ears. "Tell you what," she said, "why don't we leave the chocobos here and Vincent can guard them while we're gone? It's not too far to the ruins, right?"

"It's not," Ignis said. "Though if we have to make a hasty retreat, I would prefer the chocobos be there with us."

Elpis sighed. She couldn't argue against that. She gave Vincent another scritch behind each of his ears. "Wait outside, okay? I know you want to protect me, and I appreciate that, but I don't want you to hurt yourself."

The daemon huffed with indecision, then slowly turned and walked back to the wall, tail between his legs. His heads took turns glancing back at her before he finally reached the opening they had climbed through. With a very audible sigh that she could hear even at her distance, Vincent slumped down to the ground, eyes watching her.

"I'm not sure what unnerves me most," Ignis said as Elpis climbed back onto Aquila's saddle. "The fact that you talk to the daemon as if it listens, or the fact that it does appear to understand you and is entirely willing to do what you ask."

Elpis laughed quietly. "Welcome to the Long Night."

Ignis wasn't the first person to express such concerns and Elpis was certain he wouldn't be the last. In truth, it had frightened her at first, too. There were too many implications in it that she wasn't sure she wanted to poke at. She supposed she should take heart that no monster was truly so far gone that they couldn't be saved, that they couldn't be reminded of what they had once been.

If that were true, then Ardyn wasn't as damned as he believed himself to be.

"We're here."

Ignis' voice brought Elpis out of her thoughts. She dismounted Aquila and turned on her flashlight, squinting into the dark. All that met her were brown rocks and dried lava. A dead tree twisted painfully at the entrance to the ruins proper.

"It was to the left of the entrance," Ignis said. "As I said, it was hard for Talcott to find at first."

"I don't-wait."

There. Her flashlight had almost passed over it entirely until a sheen of gold sparkled. Elpis approached the rocky wall and saw an outline of a sun, just as Ignis and Talcott had said there would be.

"I've found it," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Her heart began beating fast in her chest.

The etching was old and almost impossible to see. Elpis looked until she saw a line that seemed to form a door. Swallowing hard, she turned to Ignis. "Right, then. Do you have your weapon ready?"

"Of course." He sounded faintly offended by the idea that he would never be anything less than absolutely prepared.

Elpis turned off her flashlight and pocketed it, her bodylight providing enough glow to see by. The weight of her stave was comforting in her palm.

At first, she wasn't entirely certain what to do. If there were some spell in place to open it, she certainly didn't know it. Then she paused.

"Of course," Elpis breathed. "The cave."

Ignis frowned. "What was that?"

"When I first took Ardyn and the others into the desert, we had to take shelter from a sandstorm. There was a cave with sigils etched around the entrance to keep the sand out. Like the havens do now." She let out a short, breathless laugh, shaking her head. For some reason, she truly hadn't believed Somnus had left this here for her until now.

"All I'd had to do was... touch it."

As she'd said that, Elpis pressed her hand against the sun rune. The rock was surprisingly hot under her touch, as if it had been under the sun all day instead of covered in shadows. A second passed. Then another. Disappointment was beginning to take hold when the rune began to glow with a golden light. The line of the door followed shortly after, and in between one breath and the next, the rock itself disappeared as if it had never been at all.

Darkness waited for them beyond.

"I sense nothing," Ignis said. "I suppose that's as much of a welcome as we're going to receive."

"Wait," Elpis said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I think you should stay out here, actually."

Ignis' frown deepened. "I think that is a _terrible_ idea. We don't know what's inside. If you were hurt-"

"Then I'm hurt," Elpis finished. "You can go back for help, if need be. If we're both hurt down there, then we both die down there. One of us needs to be alive to keep looking for a way out of the prophecy."

Ignis clearly wanted to argue more, but he couldn't deny her plan made sense. With a long suffering sigh, he nodded. "I shall wait here. Like the dog," he added under his breath.

"Thank you," Elpis said, meaning it.

Before she could rethink the wisdom of her plan, she stepped into the warm dark to see what Somnus had left for her to find.


	21. The King of Lucis

Elpis was beginning to fear that she hadn't thought her excursion underground through.

At first, it had gone well enough. Nothing had appeared out of the darkness to hurt her, and she felt an emptiness in the air around her that led her to believe she was alone. Or she was mostly alone. There was something-a vibration, maybe, an echo-that she couldn't quite pick up. Slowly, she'd made her way down into the depths. She'd been inside the cave for some indeterminate amount of time when her flashlight flickered, then went out, leaving utter blackness around her.

Panic spiked through her. It was so dark that she couldn't see her own hand in front of her face, never mind her surroundings. Though Elpis was scared to take her hand away from the rock wall, she did so, banging her flashlight in the hopes that it would turn back on. No such luck.

 _Ignis and I checked these before we left. The batteries were new and full._

Which meant something was fucking with her.

Taking a deep breath, Elpis pocketed the flashlight and tried to turn on her body light. No luck there either.

A shiver went down her spine as, at the edge of her hearing, Elpis picked up the echo once more. She couldn't make it out. And it wasn't an echo so much as a sensation, a feeling in the space around her.

 _... E... is..._

She only barely managed to keep herself from jumping ten feet into the air. That had been a voice.

"Oh fuck no," Elpis whispered to herself. "I saw that movie with Alexus. It ended with everyone dead."

The smartest thing to do would be to turn around, go back to the entrance, and tell Ignis she'd found nothing. It would be a lie, but frankly, it would be worth it at this point. Somnus surely hadn't left anything for her. It was all a wild chocobo chase.

 _But what if this is the thing that saves Ardyn?_

Biting her lip to hold back a groan, Elpis closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Somnus," she said quietly, her voice almost lost in the near solidity of the dark, "if you want me to do this, you have to give me something."

At first, nothing happened. Then, in the distance, a golden light began to dimly glow. Elpis wasn't sure if it was real or a figment of her imagination, her brain making up something in the dark. Then it grew stronger and she began to see the outline of the cave once more.

Hesitantly, she placed her hand back on the cave wall. She hadn't expected that to actually work.

"Okay," Elpis said. "I guess I'm still doing this."

The light was low enough that she was still nervous to step forward, but she forced herself to do so. She tried not to think about the walls closing in around her, about being buried underneath the earth, never to be found again. She had grown up with the open sky of the desert in her first life. In her second, the sky had been visible in Insomnia, even as the buildings were so tall they looked as if the tops of them could touch the sun itself. She had never been in such an enclosed space.

 _Don't think about,_ Elpis told herself. Instead, she focused on putting one foot in front of the other.

How long she followed that dim glow, she couldn't say. The air grew hotter the lower she went, until she began to fear she would come upon a lake of fire at the end of the trail. And every now and then, she heard something or someone whisper her name.

When Elpis finally came to the end of her road, she almost didn't believe it. The golden glow touched her hand first, then the rest of her, and between one breath and the next, she entered a large cavern. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the light, but when they did, she gasped.

All around the walls were etchings, like the one of a sun in the door leading to the underground trail. They covered every inch of the rocks, maybe even all the way to the top, though the cavern was so large that the ceiling of it was hidden in shadows. Her eye caught on one nearest her, of a horned figure in chains, while next to it was a man in a crown with people kneeling before him.

"Ardyn," Elpis breathed, running her fingers over the etching. Ardyn in chains in Angelgard, waiting for the day he'd be released. Her fingertips followed the line of his horns. Then, with a barely restrained snarl, she turned away from the picture.

Stepping out further into the cavern, Elpis raised her hands.

"I'm here!" Her voice echoed back to her. "Is this all you wanted to show me, Somnus? More of your lies?"

 _... Elpis..._

She jumped again, her heel catching on a sudden dip in the ground. After she caught her balance, she twisted around to see what she'd stepped on.

Engraved into the ground was a sun. Its rays stretched the length of the floor until it hit the walls of the cave. A strange stirring took up in her chest to see the symbol, the stark and hard lines of it. Something - she could not have said what - tugged her forward until she came to stand in the middle of the disc that made up the body of the sun.

Just as it had on the entrance leading to the cave, the sun began to glow, and the stench of burning flesh suddenly filled her nostrils, causing her to cough, and-

And-

The flames of the pyre seemed as if they could reach the sky itself. They moved almost like water, and if he squinted, he thought he could see someone dancing in them. But that was only a trick of the mind. The acrid smell of the smoke and something worse that Somnus didn't want to think about filled the air. He watched as the last traces of Elpis' mortal body burned away to ash, the embers flying into the air, carried up by the gusts coming off the ocean. Angelgard stood in the distance.

Somnus thought he could still hear Ardyn screaming.

Shuddering hard, Somnus forced himself to watch until the pyre died down. It was all he could do. He had killed Elpis-though yes, she'd forced his hand-and now the right thing to do was to stand watch as her body burned.

It was something a king should do. And he was king now.

For all the good it did him.

 _Astrals,_ Somnus thought, _is this the destiny you had in mind for me? Or is this my punishment, for killing my brother and the woman who was to be his wife?_

The gods did not give him an answer.

Something cracked in him then, to hear the silence of the beings he'd spent his life worshiping and following devoutly. Not even Bahamut could rouse himself to say anything to his King? After all he had done in their names?

Laughing, Somnus buried his face in his hands and let the tears run down his cheeks until he thought he'd never do anything else but cry.

* * *

He could not return to Solheim. He had no wish to. That was meant to have been Ardyn and Elpis' kingdom, rising from the ashes. Somnus would let the ashes rest where they lay and look elsewhere to place his throne. It took him two years of searching, but finally he came upon a place where he felt he could build something new: A large island off the Eastern most shore of the world. It was, perhaps, too close to the desert-to Elpis' desert-for his liking, but his doubts faded once he set foot on the island's warm beach.

 _Yes,_ Somnus thought as he eyed the greenery. _This will do._

He'd expected to feel something like excitement or even resignation. Nothing budged the hollowness from his chest.

"It will need a name," his friend, Deus, said from beside him, having seen something in his king's posture that told him Somnus had made a decision.

What would Ardyn have named his city?

 _He would have hated the responsibility of it,_ Somnus thought. He would have hated being king, even as he accepted the burden. And Somnus had hated him for it, had hated that his holy older brother would get everything he'd never wanted, even Elpis, while Somnus was left to the scraps in his shadow.

"Your Majesty?" Deus urged, voice gentle.

"I will think on it," was all Somnus said.

* * *

He no longer slept. When he did, his dreams were full of horrors, bodies twisting, bones breaking and muscles tearing into new shapes, agonized voices echoing in the dark, and through it all-

Through it all was his brother's voice, cold and furious, whispering in his ear:

 _I will never forgive you. Everything you build, I will tear down, stone by stone, with blood soaking the ground._

Eventually, Somnus named his city.

Insomnia.

* * *

He was well into his forties before the main parts of the palace were finished-older than Elpis would ever get to be, though perhaps not Ardyn, if Somnus' fears were true. Around it, the beginnings of a city were taking root like the trees they'd had to cut down to make the space.

Somnus walked the main corridor slowly, sword at his side. It could be something amazing, one day. He was beginning to realize he was leaving his mark forever on Eos, that even after his body had turned to dust, his name would still be spoken by people a hundred, five hundred, a thousand years from then.

He was not entirely certain he liked the thought.

No one would speak Ardyn's name ever again. Somnus had seen to that. No history book would ever make mention of him nor Elpis, and anyone living now wouldn't dare speak up about it. He was the king. They would do as he said.

"You know," Deus said, joining Somnus' side, "now that the palace is mostly livable, you should consider... taking a partner."

Somnus stopped in front of a painting of the birth of the Astrals, his eyes on Bahamut's form. "Should I."

"Yes," Deus said bluntly. "A king needs an heir. The last thing Insomnia needs after these recent years of upheaval is for you to die without naming an heir to inherit the crown. Do you have anyone in mind? If it's a man, a surrogate can be found easily."

Somnus made a noncommittal noise. No, he had never shared Ardyn's tastes in that manner, had not loved both women and men and some who were neither.

Save for Elpis.

Somnus had thought Elpis beautiful, at first, and honorable. And even when she began to spout her heretical views, some part of him had wanted to save her from herself, to show her the truth of the Astrals and turn her properly to the light she'd been blessed by.

So many years removed, Somnus could admit to himself that yes, he had loved Elpis, in his own way. A way that he had kept locked away, once he'd seen the way Ardyn had looked at her. Even that first night, when Somnus had first met Elpis, he'd seen the flicker of interest in Ardyn's blue eyes, a flicker that had quickly become a look of awe and reverence every time Ardyn gazed at her. A flicker that had become like the sun, blinding and all-consuming.

Somnus had seen that flicker, had seen Elpis' own gaze follow Ardyn, and like so many other things, had allowed his brother to take her. He told himself that the Astrals had clearly placed Elpis and Ardyn together to fulfill their destiny. Somnus' own destiny laid elsewhere, with someone else.

But gods, how he'd burned with hatred, some nights.

"I've no one in mind," Somnus said to Deus, finally coming out of his thoughts. "Choose who you think is acceptable."

Deus paused. "A formal arrangement, then?"

"All the best noble families of Solheim did it that way. My mother and father were an arranged marriage that grew into a love match."

"This isn't Solheim. You can do things however you wish and set your own precedent."

Somnus laughed bitterly. "If that is true, then I've set the precedent that one can kill their sibling to take a crown."

Deus frowned and seemed uncertain as to what to say. It wasn't permitted to speak of Ardyn. "Someone will be found, then, from the old lines of Solheim," he said at last before bowing and taking his leave.

* * *

Her name was Beata Ximeno Sanctia. Somnus knew vaguely of her family, supposedly descended from a noble family in Succarpe generations ago, but they'd never met. She was fifteen years his younger, and by the time they would have met, Ifrit felled Solheim. He didn't know where she and her family had gone after that.

Somnus stepped into the chamber with a hint of... what, exactly? He had to pause briefly to name the emotion: Trepidation. He noted it with some vague sense of interest and wondered why he should be reluctant for this meeting.

 _Do you fear putting a sword through her heart at the end of it?_ a voice that sounded like Ardyn's whispered in the back of his mind.

Somnus shuddered. He could almost feel Ardyn's breath against his ear.

Beata hadn't noticed. Her back was to him, her gaze on the painting that hung before her, of Bahamut and his lover Leviathan. It was not a painting Somnus was particularly fond of, as it showed Bahamut and Leviathan in the midst of sex-or something close to it, given the expressions on their faces-and he'd always considered the Astrals above such human things.

And now he was stuck with his potential wife in the room housing it. Deus had arranged the meeting, and Somnus now knew that a trick had been played on him.

He wondered if he could declare it a hanging offense to laugh at the king.

But, briefly, it gave him a moment to see Beata without her knowing he was there. Her long red hair was bound in a thick braid, almost thicker than his own wrist, and it fell to shapely hips. Her dress was of a good quality, dyed dark green to set off her pale skin.

He must have made a noise, because she suddenly turned, her brown eyes bright in the sunlight. Faint freckles lined her pert nose and full cheeks, her lips unpainted. She rose an eyebrow at him, almost imperious, and something about that reminded him so much of Elpis, of her disregard for some kinds of authority, that he almost smiled.

"Your Majesty," Beata said. "Isn't it customary for you to greet your visitor first? Or are you doing away with that in your new kingdom?"

"Perhaps I shall," Somnus said. "I find I'm in no mood for pleasantries."

The eyebrow stayed raised. "And yet we are here for pleasantries. What is a business arrangement if not full of pleasantries?"

He winced. "Is that how you see this?"

"Is it not how you see it?"

To be fair, it was. Yet now that it had arrived, Somnus realized how much he disliked it.

Beata must have seen something in his expression, for her own face softened a tad, and a hint of a smile played at the edges of her lips. She motioned a hand to the painting behind her. "Of course, this speaks to a different sort of arrangement entirely."

Somnus was suddenly very glad he didn't blush easily. "I apologize," he said. "The room... was not my choice."

"Are you so easily embarrassed, Your Majesty?" Beata asked, turning back to the painting. "I should think you've seen things far worse than this, have you not?"

After a beat, she looked over her shoulder at him, and Somnus realized she was waiting for him to join her side. Slowly, he did so, keeping a good distance between them as they both considered the painting.

"I find it tasteless," Somnus admitted truthfully.

"Hmm," Beata hummed. "I do not. I find it comforting."

"How so?"

"It may be easy for you to think of the Astrals so casually, since you've been so blessed by them," Beata said. "Surely you're very familiar with them. To the rest of us, they're as distant as the stars in the night sky. So to see them thus, it's... reassuring. It brings them a little closer to us."

Somnus made a face that was far from kingly. "And that is why I dislike it. The Astrals should be above such things."

"Oh?" Beata asked. She tilted her head, peering at him with a sharp, knowing gaze. "I see it another way, Your Majesty. When humans have sex, it lifts us above our earthly place, and for a brief time, we are as gods ourselves. We share nothing with the Astrals except this: The capability to love and desire."

The sunlight poured in from the window and illuminated the strands of her hair, making them almost seem like fire. Somnus stared, then blinked, turning away from Beata and the memory of flames. The conversation is perhaps one of the strangest he's ever had, and yet, it rang with a familiarity that took him a moment to place.

These had been the sorts of conversations Elpis and Ardyn had shared. They had talked for hours at a time, sometimes, about everything and nothing, and Somnus had envied them their ease with each other.

Was this what it had felt like for them?

"Why do you want to marry me?" Somnus asked abruptly.

Beata took the change of topic in stride. "Most would say it would be a great honor," she noted. "I will be frank with you: I see what Insomnia, what Lucis, can become, and I want a part of it. That part doesn't necessarily have to be as its queen. But I want to leave something of myself in its history somewhere.

"Of course," she finally demurred, and he was disappointed for it, "the decision is ultimately up to you and your advisors. I am certain you already have my lineage thoroughly lined out, what could be recovered of it after Solheim's fall. You will find my blood is quite worthy."

"Of course," he echoed. "You did say this was a business arrangement, and you've handled yourself admirably as a negotiator. I can admit to being impressed."

Beata smiled. "Marriages have been built on less."

Somnus stared at her for a long, drawn out moment, then said, "Do you know of my brother?"

And in that moment, he saw something shift in Beata's eyes. It was subtle, and he almost missed it, but it was there: Calculation. Beata knew of Ardyn, possibly even of Elpis, and knew of what Somnus had done.

In the next breath, she said, "Your brother, Your Majesty? I know my bloodlines well. The Lucis Caelums only had one son: You."

The air left his lungs as if he'd been punched. She said it with such certainty, even he almost doubted his own memory, the facts of his own life. He shook his head. "My brother-"

"Forgive me, Your Majesty," Beata said. "There is only one king of Lucis. You. Your throne does not seat two, but one, and the person meant to sit there is you."

She stepped closer. "You are king. Anything you say is the godspoken truth, and none will ever breathe a word differently."

Somnus made his decision then.

They were married before the year was out.

* * *

The nightmares continued, and Insomnia continued to grow, as did Beata's stomach. In the fall, she gave birth to a daughter, one with black hair and the blue eyes of the Lucis Caelums.

Somnus held his daughter and felt Eos shift beneath his feet.

He and Beata had not decided on a name. But he made his choice then, and it was as Beata had said: He was King. Not even she would argue this with him.

"Arden," Somnus said, feeling the soft skull of his daughter, listening to her breath, feeling the warmth of her body. "Arden Lucis Caelum."

* * *

Beata's scream tore Somnus from his troubled sleep. He was up before he even fully thought about it, hand reaching for his sword, his will summoning the rest of his weaponry in a spark of blue light. He ran to the nursery next to the king's chambers, prepared to fight a hundred men if that was what awaited him, prepared to even fight the Astrals themselves.

What awaited him was a dark moon lit by the moon and Beata kneeling at the crib that held their daughter. Another scream tore itself from her throat, changing into a wail, and Somnus felt his breath catch in his throat.

Somehow, he knew what waited for him in the crib. Numbly, he stepped forward, until he could see the blue of Arden's mouth, her limp body, the stillness of her tiny chest.

" _Bring her back_ ," Beata shrieked, and it took Somnus a moment to realize she was beseeching the gods for intervention. "Give her back, one of you!"

Guards ran into the nursery then, followed by servants, and everything passed in a blur until Somnus found himself standing in the nursery alone, the crib empty.

Or not alone.

He became aware of another presence then, as a figure moved like fluid from the deepest shadows of the room. Long, bright red hair fell down to narrow thighs, and bright green eyes reflected the dim light. The skirt of the person's whispered quietly along the marble floor.

"Don't worry, little king," the person purred, voice like the crack of embers, "I made sure it was painless. Which is more than you did, once upon a time."

Somnus swallowed, reaching for his Armiger once more. All he could say was, "Why?"

The person lifted a hand and ran their long nails down Somnus' cheek almost tenderly. "Because you killed someone I love," they said. "And because the name Ardyn must never be uttered on the soil of Lucis until the end."

In between one blink and the next, they were gone, leaving behind only a scent of burning brush.

* * *

Somehow, he and Beata continued to live. Or what passed for life after the death of a child.

Insomnia mourned its princess, then continued on.

Somnus' hair began to grey at the temples, the lines around Beata's mouth began to grow deeper, and life continued on.

And then the darkness returned.

* * *

Somnus watched the pyre grow until it looked as if it could touch the night sky.

Fifteen people in a small town had had the Scourge. Tomorrow, Somnus knew, he would find more. Soon, maybe entire cities would be full of the afflicted once again. And this time, there was no Ardyn to save them.

In the palace, Beata suffered through a painful pregnancy, one the midwives whispered she may not live through. And Somnus could not be there for her, could not stay by her side, because the darkness had returned, and he was the King of Lucis, and it was his duty to protect his people from its blight.

When a messenger arrived with news of Beata's death and the birth of a healthy daughter, Somnus read the note without a trace of emotion before consigning the parchment to the flames. He left the encampment his men had set up on their journey towards Tenebrae, towards someone he prayed would be able to help, and after walking until his feet bled, found himself in the ruins of Solheim.

It was long abandoned and the forest was reclaiming it, slowly but surely. Yet still Somnus found the shrine the people here had once built to the Astrals and to Ardyn and Elpis. He picked up a figure of Bahamut, its features smoothed away by thousands of fingers. He ran his own thumb over the Draconian's face before pulling his arm back and flinging the figure against the rock of the shrine, where it cracked in two and fell to the ground with soft thumps.

"Why?" Somnus rasped, the sound coming from his very being. "Is this a punishment, o gods? Is this my punishment for what I did to Ardyn and Elpis? What I was ordered to do by the same Crystal with which you rule? Am I to lose everything I have ever loved? Is it because I love them that I am to lose them?"

Silence greeted him. Rage, unlike any Somnus had known before, filled him, and he screamed into the sky. "Answer me!"

And, unknown to everyone, they did.

When Somnus stumbled back to the encampment, he was not surprised to find he'd been gone for three days and nights. He did not speak of where he'd been or what he had done or why his feet were shredded and caked with blood.

He spoke only of destiny, of prophecy, and of fire.

"I will not," Somnus said to himself as he stared into the flames of the hearth, "I will not allow them to do this. Not this. Not to him."

Somnus was not blessed with Ardyn's healing gifts. But fire could cleanse just as well as anything else.

"If I have to burn the whole of Eos to save my brother," Somnus whispered, "I will. I will burn this plague to ash."

* * *

Charis bit her lip as she eyed the dark smoke on the horizon. It was so thick, it almost blocked out the sun itself, and hung heavy in the desert sky.

"The Lucian King wanders too close," her daughter, Elpida, noted. "Should we prepare our warriors to deliver a warning if he strays any closer?"

Charis remembered the boy she had met so long before, the strict one who had seemed so dark next to Ardyn's light, and felt only sadness for him.

"No," Charis said. "He will not come here. Of this, above all, I am certain."

Ignoring Elpida's somewhat confused look, Charis went to her tent and sat before a small desk. After a moment of consideration, of remembering the sister she'd once had, Charis set her quill to parchment.

 _The king has gone mad._

* * *

In the end, Crescentia reflected, it was a relief for her father to finally pass.

Somnus Lucis Caelum, the first king of Lucis, founder of Insomnia, had lived past his one hundredth year. After his long journey to banish the darkness from Eos, he had returned to Insomnia to find Crescentia well into her tenth year. She had been so nervous of him, this man everyone called her father but whom she'd never met. His portraits had made him seem serious and dour and frightening.

The reality was not much different.

Gods, she had tried to earn his love, but Somnus had always held her at arm's length. He had never been outright cruel, never, but neither had he been loving. In the end, Crescentia had given up and accepted whatever he gave her.

In his final days, while he was still somewhat lucid, he had called Crescentia to his side. Surprised, she had done so, ever the dutiful daughter, and still the ten year old girl who secretly, desperately hoped for her father's love.

He'd grabbed her hand with surprising strength and his blue eyes had bored into her own. "Father?" Crescentia asked, somewhat nervous. "What is it?"

"The prophecy," Somnus said, voice hoarse and thin, "it mustn't... come to pass."

Crescentia considered his words. She knew of a prophecy, shared only between the Lucis Caelums and the Fleurets of Tenebrae: Of a King of Lucis who would one day banish the darkness for good. The prophecy her father had tried to fulfill by burning every bit of the Scourge he found.

"I don't understand," Crescentia said. "Father, we have to banish the darkness."

Somnus had closed his eyes then, and for a terrifying moment, Crescentia thought he was going to die on her right then and there. Then he opened them again, letting out a long breath, before speaking.

"I've failed," he said. "I've failed you, and our people, and... and Ardyn."

Puzzled, Crescentia shook her head. "I don't-Father, you're speaking nonsense. Let me call the physician and he can give you more of the draught to help you sleep."

"I realize now, though," Somnus continued as if she hadn't said anything, "I was wrong. I had faith in the wrong things. The wrong gods."

Swallowing hard, Crescentia said, "Oh."

He smiled, just slightly. "But I think-I think that will be what decides it. Faith. Faith can remake the world."

His mouth moved as if to make another sound, but a racking cough took over, and Crescentia managed to pull her hand free to send for the physician. Her father never again brought up the prophecy, or the name Ardyn.

Days later, he finally passed in his sleep.

 _A good death,_ Crescentia thought as they took her father's body to be buried. _A kind, merciful death from the Astrals. We should all be so lucky._

And it was a relief to not see him suffer any longer.

And so it came to pass that Crescentia Lucis Caelum, first of her name, became Queen of Lucis. And so she learned of the monster lurking in the shadows of Angelgard, the one her family must always keep in its chains, lest the world fall.

And so life continued on.

And so did the world hold its breath, waiting, waiting for the birth of the One True King.

It did not notice a soul returning to Eos, torn from the beyond and remade with flame. After all, the heretic's part in the tale was done.

What else was there to write for Elpis Maelen?

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I know I'm taking a huge liberty with the canon in this chapter. It was important for me to show that Somnus actually wasn't blessed in the end at all. He eventually loses everyone he loves until he can't bring himself to love his living daughter, and he dies with the knowledge that he's failed to sway the prophecy. I did take the bit of him burning people from the Episode Ardyn Prologue and just twisted it a bit. This story isn't mean to exactly match what the canon says. It's meant to rhyme and echo.

Ardyn likely imagined Somnus got everything he ever wanted, a happily ever after, and it would have been easy to write it that way. It also would have validated him a bit. I didn't want to do the easy path, because that isn't the theme of this story.

I feel like I always apologize for the long wait between chapters, so I'll try not to repeat myself here and just say I hope to get the next one out sooner. We're in the endgame now. (What up, Avengers reference!) I listened to ADONA's cover of "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" from the Birds of Prey soundtrack a bit while editing this, as it has an appropriately epic, going-into-the-finale feel. (And the movie was awesome, so I definitely recommend checking it out if it seems up your alley.)

I hope everyone is taking care of themselves in this unnerving time. Wishing you all the best.


	22. The Lady of Hope

How long Elpis had knelt there in the middle of the Sun sigil on her knees, she couldn't say. A wetness trailed down her hands and she slowly realized they were her tears.

She was crying for Somnus. Not just for Somnus, but for everyone she had seen: Beata, little Arden, Crescentia, her sister and her niece. In a game of gods, no mortal would ever win. Especially not when they were the playing pieces.

And now the gods wanted Noctis' blood to be spilled as well.

"How much blood is enough?" Elpis wondered aloud. "They have taken so much already. Why must they want more?"

Not just the Lucis Caelum's blood, but the blood of others, of the Oracles and the soldiers in the Kingsglaive and the armies. The blood of the people lost beneath Niflheim's machines in Iedolas' never-ending search of immortality. The blood of everyone who had ever turned into a daemon. Elpis could almost feel it, the thick blood that covered absolutely every inch of Eos, and all of it spilled by the whims of gods.

No, not gods. Just one. The God of War himself.

Elpis supposed she was a fool for thinking a deity of war would want anything else as tribute but blood and death.

And Alexus - they had been the one to kill Arden in her crib. And they had said it was because of Elpis.

She gagged, feeling the meager amount of food she'd eaten threatening to come back up. A baby had been killed in her name. By someone who had professed to love her. What was Alexus' plan? To cause as much misery as possible before the end? Did they have a plan at all, or were they simply doing whatever struck their fancy?

Elpis could not believe it. Somehow, she suspected Alexus had a plan, even if she could not see it yet. She would have to prepare herself as best as she could for the time Alexus returned.

Taking a shuddering breath, Elpis got herself to her feet, brushing the tear trails off her cheeks. She couldn't linger, but neither could she make herself leave yet. Ignis had brought her here in hopes of answers and she didn't want to see the hope in his face crumble when she returned empty-handed.

A shiver went through the air and passed through her. Elpis paused, her head cocked to the side, then turned quickly with a gasp.

Somnus stood before her. Not the old man as he'd been when he'd died, but as the man Elpis had known - a bit of youth still in his cheeks, the light not yet dimmed from his eyes. Now, though, he looked somber.

"Elpis," he said, and she could not respond. After a beat, a corner of his mouth lifted in a somewhat sardonic smile, so like Ardyn's smirk that her heart clenched to see it. "I cannot fault you for not being happy to see me."

"I-" Elpis stopped, shaking her head minutely, her eyes never leaving him. "I don't know what I am."

That wasn't entirely true. Her body had reacted even while her mind was still catching up to what she was seeing. Her hands shook and her heart felt as if it would crawl up her throat. Fear prickled up her spine, leaving goosebumps in its wake.

Somnus must have sensed her fear or seen it in her face, for he kept his distance. "I do not have much time," he said. "The Guardian of the Gate does not lose souls easily."

"Huh," Elpis said, falling back on sarcasm. "That hasn't been my experience, in the past."

The sardonic smile turned into a sincere one for the briefest of moments. Then a shadow darkened his expression. "I left this here for you, hoping you would find it one day." He stepped over to the etchings on the wall, where the figure of Ardyn in chains glared out at the world. "The truth of what happened."

"I would have rather you put the truth in your history books," Elpis said, her voice turning cold.

His shoulders sagged. "I was too ashamed," he said. "And too proud, I will admit to it. My claim to the throne was unstable. And I did not wish to live in Ardyn's shadow for the rest of history."

"Yeah, okay," Elpis said, anger beginning to burn away her fear. "If you're here only to try and justify yourself, then we're done. I'll leave right now."

"You're right," Somnus said quietly. "There can be no reasoning with my decisions. Yet I made them all the same. I did... I did try to change things, to change the prophecy. I did try to eradicate the Scourge from Eos so that Ardyn may still have a chance."

The scent of burning flesh still fresh in her mind, Elpis somehow managed to keep herself from gagging. "By burning piles of people. Yes, I saw."

A brief pang of remorse, of horror and despair, crossed Somnus' face.

 _The king has gone mad_. Elpis wasn't sure if it was madness or pure desperation that had driven Somnus in the end. Maybe both. Maybe they were the same. All she could think about was how Ardyn used to blame himself for each death he couldn't prevent. How he'd let them weigh on his soul, his shoulders sagging beneath the weight, and how Elpis had tried to ease that burden for him. Did he know about Somnus' mad endeavor to purge the Starscourge from Eos by flame? Did a part of him, even now as near soulless as he was, feel the weight of those deaths?

Then she wondered if Somnus felt that same weight. She was afraid to ask.

Finally Somnus turned to look at her once again. "Before my death, I had visions. Of you, walking Eos once more, sunlight following you wherever you went. I see that they have come true."

"For all the good it's done us," Elpis said, allowing the change in subject. She had no wish to talk of fire and death anymore. "The prophecy is still coming true."

"Is it?" Somnus asked. "There is still time. You must have faith."

"Where have I heard that before?" Elpis muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I am _tired_ of fighting on faith alone. I need something more concrete than faith right now."

"I know," Somnus said. "And I am sorry I cannot give you more. I cannot say more."

She threw her hands in the air. "Of course not. Why be a helpful spirit when you can be a maddening, cryptic one?"

Somnus merely shrugged a shoulder, then hesitated. He took a step towards her, and when he saw she wasn't going to do anything other than tense, he approached her until he came to stand before her. Elpis trembled but held her ground.

She hadn't known what to expect, but Somnus kneeling down before her had not been it. His head hung low and he looked so defeated that she felt almost sorry for him. Almost.

"I know it is selfish of me to ask," Somnus said quietly, "but for everything I have done, to you and to Ardyn, I would... I would beg your forgiveness, Elpis Maelen."

She blinked once, twice, then let out a disbelieving laugh. "Forgiveness? _Forgiveness_?"

Oh, how Elpis _hated_ him in that moment. She had hated him ever since her memories had returned. After so much suffering, after he had killed her, now Somnus came before her and asked her forgiveness? As if he deserved such a thing?

And yet. If there was such a thing as punishment for sins, surely Somnus had already paid his in full. Elpis thought of the own child she'd lost the chance to ever have, saw Somnus finding Arden's body, and heard Beata's anguished screams in her ears again. Somnus had lived, but all that had given him was more time to feel the absolute sorrow of his deeds.

But that was more than Elpis had ever gotten. She had died, younger than she was now, at his hand. Ardyn's own screams had been the last thing she'd heard before darkness had pulled her down under water.

 _So much death,_ Elpis thought, _so much loss and heartbreak and suffering._ And suddenly, she was so tired that all she wanted to do was lie down and sleep for a thousand years.

Through the silence, Somnus had stayed at her feet, his head bowed. Over his shoulder, the etching of Ardyn in his chains at Angelgard burned her. Elpis closed her eyes tight and tried to find an answer for him in the chaos of her feelings.

Finally, her voice thin, she said: "I don't know that I can ever give it, Somnus."

She felt rather than saw him flinch, his body close enough to hers that she sensed it at the edge of her awareness. When she heard his clothing rustle, Elpis opened her eyes. Somnus stood slowly and, with a deep sigh, nodded once.

"I understand," he said.

"Maybe," Elpis said, "maybe if we live through this, if I get that chance at a second life past the Long Night... maybe one day I can forgive you. But I can't right now. There's too much there."

"I understand, Elpis," Somnus said once again. His gaze went distant briefly before his eyes flicked back to her. "The time approaches for you to leave. Before you go, I would warn you: Bahamut will do everything he can to stop you and Noctis from defying the prophecy. You must ready yourself for anything."

Before Elpis could ask what he meant, if he knew what Bahamut planned, Somnus was gone. The warmth left the cave almost immediately. With an irritated sigh, Elpis decided she'd had enough of ghosts and prophecies to last two lifetimes, and began to make her way out of the cavern, dissatisfied and her heart aching more than ever.

* * *

When she emerged from the cavern, Ignis quickly rose to his feet. The hope in his expression made Elpis look away. A small, ashamed part of her was glad he couldn't see her own expression and how her shoulders sagged.

"You were gone for long enough that I was beginning to worry," Ignis said.

"Sorry," Elpis said quietly. "It took a while to reach the end."

Aquila let out a happy _kweh_ when he saw Elpis making her way over to him. She fiddled with his saddle as an excuse to put off what she had to say. Ignis' presence was heavy behind her and she could feel his regard on her back.

Finally, his tone carefully even as if to hide his disappointment, Ignis said, "You didn't find anything."

"I found something," Elpis said with a quiet sigh. "But not what we were hoping for."

As she and Ignis began their way back, Elpis told him what had happened in the cavern. By the time she had finished, they'd reached the wall that surrounded the Disc. Vincent jumped up and down at the entrance, whining and wagging his tail, little bursts of fire coming from his three mouths. Allowing herself a small laugh, Elpis jumped down from Aquila so Vincent could sniff her over to make certain she was unharmed. Then he stood on his back legs and licked her face.

"No, no," Elpis laughed, "the last time you did that, you singed my hair. Down, silly."

Finally, Vincent calmed enough to leave her alone. She found a large stick and threw it, knowing that Vincent's three heads would fight over who got to carry it back to her. With a delighted bark, he ran off after it, disappearing behind a small mound.

"I'm sorry," Elpis said, unable to bring herself to look at Ignis. "That I couldn't find anything for you, or for Noctis."

A small sigh was her only clue that Ignis was holding back his true emotions. She heard his feet hit the ground, then he came up to her side, leading his chocobo by the reins. A small frown creased his forehead.

"What did Somnus mean by 'having faith'?" Ignis said, sounding more like he was thinking out loud than really expecting an answer.

She didn't have an answer for him, anyway. Somnus had always had his faith in the gods to lead him; Elpis, her faith in her family and, later, in Ardyn had guided her. She had trusted in solid things she could touch and feel rather than in beings that had decimated parts of Eos. And now? Her strength was beginning to wane. As she'd told Somnus, she couldn't keep fighting on faith alone.

"You have faith in Noctis, right?" Elpis asked as Vincent came back into view, his leftmost head carrying the stick. The other two heads tried to get at the stick, causing the daemon to trip over his own feet and go sprawling to the ground before getting back up.

"Of course," Ignis answered without hesitation.

She smiled slightly. "Well. Have faith in him, then, and in yourself. At the end of the day, the gods may betray you, but you can trust that your bond with Noctis will lead you right."

"I've never doubted that," Ignis said, his voice soft. "Not once. Even when others may have. Even when Noctis himself doubted it."

With a small sigh, Elpis said, "Those Lucis Caelums. They blaze so brightly, don't they? Like stars in the night sky, giving us hope for light in even the deepest darkness. No one can help but love them."

"We don't love them because we were made to," Ignis said, and Elpis pretended not to notice the small catch in his voice.

"But because of who they are," Elpis finished, smiling in spite of the pain in her heart. Yes, she had not fallen in love with Ardyn because their fates were entwined. It had not been love at first sight. It had been, perhaps, attraction at first sight. But she had only fallen in love once she came to know him in all his glory. She knew the truth of her feelings in that regard, at least: The gods had no hand in crafting feelings in her.

Ardyn had been so powerful that he had crafted them himself.

It was soothing, Elpis realized, to be with someone who understood that. Who loved a Lucis Caelum just as much as she did and felt their inescapable pull. Of the three boys, she had seen Ignis the most since the Long Night had begun, and she had come to view him as something of a friend. The topic of Ardyn was still something of a block between them and Elpis allowed it. If Ignis could not forgive Ardyn his offenses, she wouldn't chastise him for it. Yet despite that wall, they still got along.

Even as she tried to keep herself separate from people, it seemed as if Elpis could not entirely cut herself away.

"So," Elpis said as Vincent finally made his way back to her, dropping the stick at her feet. "What now?"

"I go back to searching for answers with Talcott," Ignis said, "and waiting for Noctis to return. And what of you?"

Elpis shrugged a shoulder before hopping back up into Aquila's saddle. "I keep searching for survivors and leading them to Lestallum. What else is there?"

Ignis made a small, contemplative noise. "They have a name for you now, you know."

"Oh, I bet the Hunters have a lot of names for me," Elpis said wryly.

A corner of Ignis' mouth lifted before he said, "The Lady of Hope."

There was a beat of silence as Elpis processed that. Then she said, "Oh. Okay."

"I've embarrassed you," Ignis noted, and she thought she detected a suppressed humor in her mortification.

"No, not at all," she lied.

As Ignis laughed and kicked his chocobo into a light trot, Elpis glared after him. History seemed to echo after itself in ways big and small: Once, she had given hope to the people of Solheim. And, Elpis realized with a jolt, Alexus had said something similar five years before in Tenebrae.

 _You keep the light in their hearts strong._

 _I give hope to so many,_ Elpis thought, _but who gives me hope now?_

She caught the shift in the air seconds before she felt her chest burn from the inside. As if something had jolted the world, tilted it almost rightside up, everything letting out a breath it'd been holding for far too long. Elpis' breath caught in her throat, then choked out in a gasp as it felt as if a fire ignited inside of her, sending flames through her very veins.

Distantly, she heard Ignis make a strangled sound before she fell off Aquila's saddle and hit the hard ground.

Through the pain, she heard Somnus' voice, quiet:

 _Have faith, Elpis._

* * *

In Fenestala Manor, a lost Prince turned mourning King put a fist to his chest and kept himself upright by leaning against a wall, a painting of Lunafreya gazing down passively at him. Not much farther away, a little sister left behind fell to her knees with a cry, grasping at her chest, the magitek she'd been working on crashing to the floor beside her.

On the other side of the world, in a garage lit so brightly as to be a beacon to those in the dark, Prompto stumbled before hitting the ground, Cindy reaching out for him.

A Behemoth almost felled Gladiolus beneath its sword, only to be speared through the neck by Iris, as Gladiolus collapsed to one knee.

And in the darkness of Angelgard, Alexus watched as the True King appeared in Ardyn's prison. The ring burned brightly on Noctis' finger. Alexus stared for a long moment, their face blank, before their ear twitched as Umbra's barks broke through the silence. Silently, they stepped back into the deep shadows and disappeared, as if they had never been there at all.

And finally, finally, in the heart of Lucis, behind a bound monster, the light of the Crystal faded away to nothing, leaving behind only a cold rock. The monster, even in his deep dreams, felt the change in the world and stirred before being dragged back beneath the depths of his slumber.

* * *

As the fire faded away, Elpis came back to herself and realized that her face was covered in dog slobber.

"Oh," Elpis groaned, "Vincent! No, no, _bad dog_ -"

Vincent whined as she managed to turn herself over and brought herself to a sitting position. It took Elpis a moment to realize that she didn't feel any pain anymore - not even the dull aching that had been a constant for the last five years, nor the fatigue in her bones. She felt like someone had injected a healing draught into her veins.

A short way ahead of her, Elpis saw Ignis sit up, a hand to his chest. After giving Vincent a pat on the head and a reassurance that she was okay, Elpis stood and went over to Ignis.

"Are you hurt?" she asked, though she suspected she knew the answer.

"No," Ignis said, rubbing at his chest. He winced. "What was that? It felt like-"

"-Fire," they said at the same time.

"You felt it, too, then," Ignis said.

"Yeah," Elpis said. "I don't know. But..."

She trailed off as she looked up towards the sky. Nothing had changed, and yet, something had changed. She could feel it in the air. Something was waiting, watching, as the threads that made up their lives rapidly wound tighter and tighter. Elpis glanced around at the darkness around them as if it had the answer.

Ignis winced again, bringing Elpis' gaze back to him as he put a hand to his ear.

"Yes, Aranea, I hear you," Ignis said, "we were returning to Lestallum now-"

He fell silent, his entire body stilling until Elpis thought he wasn't breathing anymore. Then in a deceptively calm voice, he said, "I see. Thank you. We'll be there as soon as possible."

"Is everything okay?"

Ignis took a breath, and something seemed to shine inside him, a light brighter than the sun. Elpis blinked once and it was gone.

"It's Noctis," Ignis said. "He's back."


	23. The Last Supper

On the shore we sat and hoped

Under the same pale moon

Whose guiding light chose you

Chose you all

- _The Poet and the Pendulum_ , Nightwish

In the five years since Noctis' disappearance, there had been no shortage of tales to explain Lucis' King being missing.

Some people thought he had been killed during the beginning of the Long Night when the daemons had finally overtaken the world, whereas others thought he had died in Niflheim's attack on Insomnia in the first place. Others were of the opinion that Noctis had simply grown frightened and run away from his duty. Those who did believe as much kept it to themselves, for it wasn't a popular view.

The Hunters, having been exposed to more of the world's oddities and strangeness than most, knew that Noctis lived and he would come back.

When she could, Elpis had pushed back on the idea that Noctis was dead. No, she didn't know where he was, or when he'd return - but he would, she'd promise anyone who listened. She knew he would. A true King of Lucis never turned their back on their people.

The ride back to Lestallum was a blur as Elpis and Ignis both pushed their chocobos to the limits of their speed. Every lurch of the chocobos' steps matched the beating of Elpis' heart as something lighter than air rushed through her veins. She didn't dare put a name to it. She couldn't, for fear of there somehow being a mistake that would cause all her lightness to crash back to the ground.

They made it back to the city in half the time it had taken them to go to the Disc. They both jumped off their chocobos without waiting for the birds to come to a complete stop and hurried to the outer gate.

Aranea met them outside. "Not so fast," she said. "He isn't here yet."

"Where is he?" Ignis demanded.

Aranea narrowed her eyes at his tone but allowed it for the time being. "Libertus is driving him up from the Cape. The connection kept cutting, but from what I could hear, he was found in Angelgard."

A shiver went down Elpis' spine. Crossing her arms over her chest as if to warm herself, she said, "Nothing to do but wait, then."

From the look on Ignis' face, he was prepared to spontaneously grow wings and fly his way to Noctis. But in the end, he merely nodded, his face tight with impatience. Likewise, Elpis struggled to rein in her frustration and instead took up a post outside the gate, her gaze on the horizon. Vincent sat beside her, panting happily from their run back from the Disc. Elpis rubbed his ears absently.

 _Soon,_ she thought. _I'll be there with you soon, Ardyn._

Elpis stood at the gate until her feet went numb, her legs ached, and her lower back screamed for relief. It wasn't until Vincent's ears perked up and all three heads pointed to the East that Elpis looked up and saw headlights quickly approaching. Heart in her throat, she stared at the truck, but she couldn't see anything past the glare of the headlights.

 _Please be him,_ Elpis thought even as she logically knew it had to be. Not many people had cars in the Long Night anymore.

Just as the car neared, Ignis hurried up beside her, his breath coming quick. Her heart soared, because Ignis would have only come out if he knew it was Noctis.

The truck pulled to a stop a few feet away from them, with Libertus' friendly grin and a wave greeting them both. The passenger side opened, and out stepped a man who looked so much like Somnus that Elpis couldn't help but shiver. It was as if she were seeing a double image, with Somnus overlaid on the figure emerging from the car.

But then the figure came out from the lights and towards them, and Somnus disappeared, leaving only Noctis behind. Time had not appeared to stop for him in the Crystal; his hair was to his shoulders, and a beard had grown in. There were new shadows in his eyes and his shoulders had broadened slightly.

Yet the longer she stared, the more Elpis could see the last remaining hints of childhood on him. The slight roundness still in his cheeks. The uncertain way he carried his new body. He was still a child to her, even five years on.

Finally, after a long beat of silence, Noctis self-consciously rubbed the back of his neck and quietly said, "Hey, Specs."

Ignis' throat worked as he swallowed hard, then smiled. "Your Majesty. Welcome back."

Noctis turned to Elpis and didn't seem to know what to say. She solved the problem for him, surprising even herself when she stepped forward and pulled him into a tight hug. There was a pause before Noctis briefly hugged her back. Elpis pulled away and put her hands on his shoulders, studying him.

"Libertus... he told me on the way," Noctis said, "how long it's been."

Elpis managed a small smile. "Been a while."

Noctis glanced to Ignis. "And you've all been waiting?"

"Of course," Ignis said, simply, because it was the most simple thing in the world. They knew one day Noctis would have to return; they all waited for him, and would have until their dying day.

Noctis smiled then, and Elpis saw it once more, a light shining in both Ignis and Noctis. She winced and rubbed her eyes, but when she looked again, it was gone. Was her sight playing tricks on her in the dark?

"Hate to break up the touching reunion," Aranea said, breaking Elpis from her thoughts, "but the Hunters will want to talk to His Highness."

"Before I do, you mean?" Elpis said, her tone light.

"And it's 'His Majesty' now, Aranea," Ignis added, his tone also light, his expression the image of innocence.

Aranea merely stared at them both, unamused, before turning and walking back into the gate. Noctis glanced around. "Where are Gladio and Prompto?"

"On their way," Ignis said. "They've been seeing to their own business. You've missed... quite a lot."

Elpis patted her thigh to signal Vincent over to her side, realizing her mistake only a moment later when she saw Noctis' expression as the Cerberus daemon happily lopped over. One of the heads sniffed in Noctis' direction, getting his scent, but Vincent decided to stay near Elpis instead of going over to make a new friend.

"Huh," Noctis said, right hand twitching as if he wanted to summon his Armiger. "Yeah, guess so."

"Please don't kill my dog," Elpis said. "He's nice, once you get past the three heads and the fact that he's a daemon."

There was a long pause before Noctis said, "You know what, I'm not gonna ask."

Though they'd been summoned, neither she nor Ignis made a move to follow Aranea into the city proper. Noctis looked out towards the road as if Gladio and Prompto would appear that very moment. After a beat, he said, "Five years is a long time. What do the Hunters want, anyway?"

"They've been running the show since the Long Night began," Elpis said.

Ignis crossed his arms over his chest with a frown. "They likely want to fill you in on everything that's happened and find out what you intend to do from here on out. Perhaps even offer their assistance."

"And to separate me from you," Elpis said. At Noctis' questioning glance, she clarified, "David and Ezma don't trust me as far as they can throw me." An understatement, but at least the feeling was mutual. The Hunters did good work and Elpis trusted them with the refugees and the running of Lestallum. She did not trust them with her own story or her plans going forward. There were too many old Kingsguard and Glaives in the Hunters now who knew Ardyn only as Adagium, a mythic monster to be contained.

If they got in her way, Elpis knew she would do whatever it took to save Ardyn. She wanted to avoid the possibility.

Noctis looked out towards the horizon, as if he could make Gladiolus and Prompto appear that very moment. Instead, a throat cleared to their side, and they all turned to see Libertus approaching them.

"You know," he said, trying for nonchalance, "if you wanted to skip town and head to Insomnia now... I could probably hold them off. Give you a head start. Y'know."

Elpis blinked in surprise, then shared a look with Ignis, then Noctis. For her part, she didn't want to be anywhere near the Hunters, and she didn't want them to possibly turn Noctis against her. She wasn't one of his dearest friends; she had no expectation that whatever he thought of her wouldn't be swayed by the Hunters. But if Noctis wished to speak to them, she wouldn't stop him.

As she waited to see Noctis' response, Ignis quietly said, "If we were to leave as soon as possible... I would want to say goodbye to Talcott, first. He deserves to know what's happening and where we're headed, should the worst come to pass."

The words he didn't say hung heavy in the air: Should they all die.

"I-" Elpis started, then paused. "Yeah. I agree. There's something I should do before we leave. If we leave."

They both looked at Noctis, who seemed to startle slightly when he realized they were waiting for him to make a decision. He glanced back at Libertus, who only leaned against his truck and waited. Finally, he slowly nodded.

"Talcott deserves that much," Noctis said. "And you, too, Elpis."

Some knot of tension released in her chest and a smile formed on her lips. They quickly made a new plan, knowing they'd have to move fast so the Hunters didn't catch them-or worse, Aranea.

Elpis and Ignis left Noctis with Libertus and the truck and hurried into the city. The cacophony of the people soon swallowed them, and Elpis felt a rush as she looked at every face she could. She passed by the newcomer Cora, who was feeding the stray cats bits of her dinner, much to the animal's delight. Children's shrieks of laughter flew above the rest of the noise as she passed by their game of ball. She felt as if she were half there, half not, as if she walked with one foot in the real world and the other in some unseen land that lay over the rest.

Soon, the people might live in the sun once again. They wouldn't have to fear the dark any longer. They could go back to their homes and begin their lives again.

She tried not to think if the same could be said for her at the end of this journey. A part of her knew it was possible she and Ardyn might not make it out of the story alive. After all, she had already died once before, and the odds were stacked against them. They were going up against Gods and a prophecy and the world itself. Happy endings only happened in fairytales.

With that thought weighing heavily on her mind, Elpis parted ways with Ignis once they reached the orphanage. He went to find Talcott; she went to the sitting room once again and, after rummaging around for a bit, found some paper and a pen. She sat at a table and, after a long hesitation, began to write.

It was there, a few minutes later, that Stella found her. Just as Elpis folded the paper, she heard the other woman's footsteps and stood to face her.

Stella took one glance at her, her eyes drifting to the paper, then sighed. "You're about to do something I'd advise against, aren't you?"

"Yep," Elpis said. "Listen. Noctis Lucis Caelum is back, and he's heading to Insomnia. Ignis and I are going with him."

Stella blinked rapidly. "Oh. Okay? But-"

"I'm sorry," Elpis said, ever aware of the time that had passed. "I can't explain. I wish I could. Listen, if I don't come back, could you make sure this gets to my sister Laelia in Tenebrae?"

Elpis held out the letter to Stella, who took it uncertainly. She gave Elpis a stricken look. "You-you think you're going to die. Don't you?"

 _Yes._

She had never asked herself that question, and yet she knew the answer all the same with a certainty she hadn't felt in a long time.

It was possible she was going to die trying to do the impossible. It had happened once. She could no longer think of herself as invincible, not since being run through the heart with a sword and spending two thousand years in the Beyond. But it was more than that. Somehow, in some deep part of her, Elpis knew that her death waited for her in Insomnia.

Instead of feeling afraid, she felt a strange sense of calm. Let her meet her death, then. She would fight it tooth and claw and make them drag her back into the Beyond, kicking and screaming.

Elpis would not give up on Ardyn without a fight. Even if she had to face each and every God herself.

She could say none of this to Stella. Instead, she merely shrugged a shoulder and said, "I don't know. It's always a possibility. And if I do, please, Stella-make sure my sister gets that letter. I should have said all of it to her myself, personally, but... never mind. Just-please."

Blue eyes shining with tears, Stella held the letter to her heart. "I swear to you," she said, "she'll get it. But you'd better come back, Elpis. You're needed here."

She had no response for that. Instead, she thanked Stella once again, and then made her way out of the orphanage, back out into the night.

She did not see Sunniva try running after her, only to be stopped by Stella. The girl fought against Stella hard but stopped when the woman held her tightly.

"She'll be back," Stella whispered to Sunniva, her words nearly lost against the girl's cries. "Have faith in her, Sunny. She'll be back."

* * *

 _Laelia -_

 _By the time you read this, I hope the Long Night will be over._ _King Noctis is going to Insomnia to set things right, and I'm going with him. I am going to try and save Ardyn._

 _I know you wish I wouldn't. I'm sorry. I know you must feel like I've abandoned you, and that no matter what I say, I can't make that feeling go away. I should have come to see you in Tenebrae. I'm sorry that I didn't. I was too scared to face your judgment again, to see you be disappointed in me again. I'm a coward for it._

 _But know this: I'm not doing this just for Ardyn. I'm doing this for you, too. I want you to live in a world where the sun shines again, where daemons are a distant memory. I want you to live happily. Even if it means you hate me for the rest of your life, at least you'll be alive to do that._

 _If you're getting this letter, it means that I've died. Whether or not the Long Night is over, that much will be true. I can't be naive and say things will be fine when I know they might not be._

 _If I do die, just know that you're the best thing to happen to my second life. We might not be related by blood, but you're my little sister in all the ways that count; I hope you can still think of me as your big sister after this is over. I hope, one day, you can still love me, even if I've fallen short of deserving that love._

 _I love you, Laelia. Don't ever forget that. I'll bring the sun back for you._

 _Elpis_

* * *

With Libertus' help, they evaded the Hunters long enough to make it out of the Lestallum city limits and onto the road towards Insomnia. Gladiolus and Prompto had been told to go to Hammerhead instead, where they would meet up with Noctis and the others.

As Elpis drove, they saw no signs of any daemons in their surroundings. She and Noctis shared a look. They both knew the daemons were being kept away so that they could make their way to Insomnia without incident. If she ignored Vincent, who had refused to stay behind by Lestallum, Elpis could almost pretend that it was merely a normal night. At one point in her life, the fact that she had not only a daemon in the back of her truck but also the King of Lucis beside her would have shocked her. Now, Elpis barely gave it a thought. All she could focus on was what came next.

Whatever that may be. No one had spoken about any plans since they'd set off. Maybe Noctis and Ignis were waiting for Gladiolus and Prompto to join them before they began hashing out ideas. Or maybe they were like Elpis and didn't know where to start.

Either way, the ride passed in relative silence. When they finally arrived at Hammerhead, they were all stiff and sore from the long ride and eager to get out of the truck. As Elpis parked, two familiar men emerged from the station, and Noctis' face lit up. He hurried out of the car, followed by Ignis, and together they rejoined Gladiolus and Prompto.

Elpis watched for a moment before turning away. A part of her recognized that she wasn't really a part of their group and so stayed back to allow them their reunion. It felt too intimate for her to intrude on.

She wandered off to the outskirts of the service station, letting the darkness envelope her. There was a chill in the air that always came with the desert at night. The feel of the hard ground beneath her boots was comforting, familiar - even if the last time she'd truly been in the desert had been two thousand years before. She wrapped Ardyn's red scarf around her head and neck in the style she hadn't worn in five years; somehow, it no longer felt right to cover her hair. Tonight, though, in the place where she'd once been born and lived and knew as well as her own hand, it didn't feel so wrong to wear the scarf once more.

As she threw a stick for Vincent to fetch, the wind rustled through the brush. Elpis paused, listening. Partly out of old fashioned caution, but also...

 _Ellie!_

A girl's bright laughter rang in the air. Elpis felt as if she'd been punched in the chest. That was Charis' voice.

 _Elpis._

Gasping, Elpis spun around, trying to find the source of that voice, the one that belonged to her mother. And there - she could hear the far off crackle of a fire, the singing and cheers of her people as they celebrated, their laughter, their joy. The world around her was empty. The voices were just that: sounds, carried by the wind, of a time so far past that their existence was no longer known by anyone. Except by her.

The wind died down, and with it, the voices disappeared. Elpis stood, shaking, tears in her eyes. She'd forgotten the sound of her mother and sister's voices. She'd forgotten how much she, herself, sounded like her mother, voice smooth and deep.

Taking a steady breath, Elpis closed her eyes. Though she waited, the voices did not return. Still she sank to her knees, then bowed until her forehead touched the ground.

"Mother," she said, "Charis. Please. Help me see this through. Help me save everyone, one last time."

She received no answer to her prayer. Yet she did not feel alone.

When Elpis made her way back to the service station some time later, Ignis was waiting for her by the truck. He tossed a bit of meat to Vincent who took it with glee, all three heads fighting over it.

"We'll be staying here for the night," Ignis said. "Noctis wanted to push on, but it's best we not face whatever's awaiting us in Insomnia fatigued and sore.

"Mm." Personally, Elpis itched to keep moving as well, even though she knew Ignis was right. Being so close and yet so far from Ardyn still was like electricity running in her veins, like a string pulling her on, urging her to keep moving forwards.

Ignis turned his head towards her as if he were studying her. "Gil for your thoughts?" he asked at length.

Elpis wrinkled her nose. "No one uses gil anymore. Make me a meal and then maybe we'll talk."

"I happen to plan on doing just that tonight," Ignis said, a sly hint to his tone. Then, more thoughtfully, he added, "That does bring up the question of what will happen after this all ends. How do you rebuild a world after the apocalypse?"

"Very slowly," Elpis said, "and bit by bit. If things go as they should, that pleasant job will fall to you and Noctis."

He paused. "And what of yourself? What do you want for yourself, after?"

 _Being alive at all would be a start,_ Elpis thought. But it was a good question for which she had no answer. If she and Ardyn lived, what would they do afterwards? How would they build a new life?

She didn't feel like disclosing those thoughts to Ignis, at least not tonight, so instead Elpis said, "Depends, are any of you planning on charging Ardyn with crimes against humanity?"

Her tone indicated she'd meant to be joking, but it fell flat. The truth was, if Ardyn lived, he should face some punishment for his actions.

 _And the Ardyn of old would want to be punished for his actions,_ Elpis thought. _He would punish himself for it if we gave him the chance._ That, more than anything, decided her: If she had to, she would fight to keep him free.

"Let's survive, first," Ignis finally said. "Everything else can wait."

"Sure," Elpis said. "Come on. You owe me a meal."

Together, with Vincent following at her heels, they went inside the service station to eat what might be their last supper, to have one last night of laughter and rest, before the end.


	24. Homecoming

History has its eyes on you  
- _Hamilton_ , Lin-Manuel Miranda

* * *

The sun was too bright.

Ardyn winced as he opened his eyes. His skin felt-too warm, and too tight, and there was a fog in his mind that was both familiar and terrifying. He risked opening his eyes again and they watered as they slowly grew used to the light. The bark of the tree he rested against dug into his skin painfully, almost like-

- _Lances that pierced his body and kept him chained_ -

"Papa!"

A girl waved at him from beside a lake, giving him a gap-toothed smile. Her tightly coiled curls blew in the breeze.

"Come on, Papa!"

Then Elpis was beside their daughter and holding her hand out to him. "When did you get so lazy?" she called out to him, teasing.

Ardyn smiled. "I've always been lazy, darling. You knew that when you married me."

Elpis laughed, a sound he would never tire of, and lowered the straps of her dress. Suddenly much more interested in the proceedings, Ardyn stood as Elpis took off her dress until she was in her shift and waded into the lake's water.

"Come, my King," she said. "The water's warm."

With a delighted yell, Aurea ran into the lake, kicking up water until she was up to her knees in it. Laughing, Ardyn went to join them-then stopped. Somnus stood at the edge of the lake, watching, his face unreadable.

For a reason Ardyn couldn't pinpoint, fear clutched his heart. He took a hesitant step forward. "Som? What-"

Somnus summoned his sword and, in two steps, was upon Elpis and Aurea. Elpis tried to shove Aurea behind her, but was stopped short when Somnus ran his sword through her chest. Aurea screamed as Elpis fell into the water, dead, and then her scream died when Somnus brought his sword down on her as well. Blood colored the water a dark red and stained the hem of Somnus' robes.

A wordless scream ripped itself from Ardyn's throat as he tried to run towards them, but something held him back, something he couldn't see, and then Somnus was there in front of him, his eyes dark and his expression cold and unforgiving.

"Remember, brother," Somnus said as he rose his blade, "the throne seats only one."

The last that Ardyn saw was his brother's sword coming down, blazing in the sunlight.

* * *

Despite the fact that they stopped for the night in Hammerhead, Elpis doubted that anyone of their party actually rested. She'd only managed a few hours of uneasy sleep herself. Nightmares had woken her up too many times to count, though when she tried to recall what they'd been about, she'd come up empty. The only evidence that they happened was an uneasiness in her chest.

She rose before anyone else did and went about quietly making some kind of breakfast, though she wasn't hungry. After giving Vincent some breakfast of his own, Elpis hopped onto the hood of the truck and nibbled at her toast, gaze towards Insomnia. They never covered this in the history books or in stories: How long someone had to wait for something to happen, for things to start moving, to get to the end. If Elpis thought too hard on the fact that things might finally end in a few hours, it stopped feeling real.

Whatever happened today, the world would never be the same.

"Couldn't sleep either, huh?"

Noctis joined her, leaning against the grill of the truck, a cup of Ebony in his hands.

"You didn't too, I'm guessing," Elpis said.

"I've been resting for five years," Noctis said. "Kind of tired of it." He yawned, causing Elpis to shoot him a look.

"Don't," Elpis said, then yawned herself. "Ugh. Why is it that no one mentions how tired you might be before going into battle?"

"Because no one would join the Glaive or the Guard if they did," Noctis said with a small smile. It fell fast, as did his gaze. "Did you think of a plan?"

"No," Elpis said. They'd all stayed up late, trying to cobble together something resembling a plan, and had fallen short. They knew very little of what awaited them in Insomnia, past Ardyn. How were they supposed to get to Bahamut? How were they supposed to solve the problem of Eos and her hatred of her own creations?

"Be nice if someone who got us into this mess were here to tell us how to get out of it," Noctis said at length.

It took Elpis' fatigued mind a moment to unravel that. Then she said, "I haven't seen Alexus in five years. Not since..."

"I know," Noctis said. "Worth a shot."

"I didn't know what they were going to do in Gralea," Elpis said. "They'd been acting weird since they came back from being dead, but I didn't ever expect them to betray us all like that."

Her tone veered into pleading; Noctis had no reason to believe her, and Elpis wanted him to, badly.

"I know," Noctis repeated, then gave her another small smile. "You know you wouldn't be here if I thought I couldn't trust you, right?"

Elpis blinked and sat back. "Um."

"I didn't at first," Noctis said as he finished off his coffee and set the mug aside. "And I definitely still don't trust Ardyn. But you've been honest with me from the start, and you... you gave me a choice, when no one else really would. That would have been enough, but the guys trust you, too. And Libertus told me about you on the drive up. And when you were gone in Lestallum, I heard people talking about you, about what you've done. So, I trust you."

"Oh," Elpis said, at a loss. "Okay."

"Don't sound so surprised," Noctis said, laughing quietly. "C'mon. Ignis is making breakfast. Might as well make the most of it before we leave."

"Yeah," Elpis said, for lack of a better response, and she jumped off the truck's hood to follow him back into the service station. In her wildest dreams, she'd never have imagined being at this point: A trusted companion of Prince Noctis'.

 _And why should it surprise me so much?_ Elpis wondered. If she and Ardyn had been allowed to live two thousand years before, Noctis would be her descendant, not Somnus'. He was, in a way, family. She wrinkled her nose at the thought and shook it off; no, it was too weird to consider Noctis family, at least right now.

But a friend? A trusted comrade in arms? She could do that. Maybe the rest would follow, if she lived.

* * *

"Whoa," Prompto said as the truck pulled to a halt.

As Gladio parked the truck, everyone got out and considered the scene before them. They'd driven to the city limits of Insomnia while going over what little plans they had. No daemons had stopped them, and even though it felt like an entire day had passed due to her impatience, Elpis knew it had only been a few hours. Before leaving, they'd said their goodbyes to Cindy and Cid, everyone very carefully not mentioning it would likely be the last time they saw each other.

Now they stood before Insomnia, staring at the glowing red wall that encircled the city. Gladio knelt down, picked up a rock as large as his hand, and threw it at the wall, where it ineffectually bounced off and nearly hit Vincent. The dog yelped and ran back over to Elpis, whining.

Elpis grit her teeth in frustration. This wall was keeping her from Ardyn.

"Right," Noctis said. "Any ideas?"

"Maybe if we knock nicely?" Prompto said.

Elpis unhooked her stave from her belt and extended it to its full length. "Only one way to find out," she said, planting her feet and raising her stave.

Something shot past her and landed at her feet, giving off an electric spark. Elpis jumped back and stared at the purple arrow, then turned around.

Her breath caught in her throat.

It had been five years since she'd last seen Laelia, but Elpis knew her immediately.

Laelia lowered her silver bow and gave Elpis a long, unreadable look. She wore light, silver armor and a white dress with sylleblossoms embroidered at the hems, and her hair was done in small braids. Elpis had a momentary flash of unreasonable jealously. She'd always braided Laelia's hair. Who had done it for her the past five years?

What didn't surprise her was seeing Ravus standing by Laelia's side, hand on the pommel of his sword. Elpis was distantly aware of Noctis tensing, but she couldn't look away from Laelia.

"Hey... guys?" Prompto said, clearly at a loss, but his hand twitched as if he wanted to summon his guns.

"Ravus," Noctis said. "Didn't expect to see you here, gotta admit."

"Probably should have," Gladio said with a frown.

"Laelia," Elpis finally said, taking a step towards her sister, hand lifting.

"Elpis," Laelia said, her tone so cool that it stopped Elpis in her tracks. "You're here to free Ardyn, aren't you?"

Noctis glanced at her and stepped forward. "You're planning on stopping us, Ravus?"

Ravus pulled his sword free and took up a fighting stance. Laelia seemed to take a cue from him and shifted her own footing, bringing her bow back up, where a purple arrow made of energy appeared as she pulled the string back and nocked it.

"We're here to kill the beast," Ravus said. "You would be wise to let us do as much."

Whatever was said in reply to Ravus, Elpis missed it. She could only stare at her sister. How much she had grown in just five years! She was twenty-two now, but she looked so much older, so much wiser. It did not escape Elpis' notice that her dress had a pattern similar to the coat Ravus wore, or that Laelia no longer needed her cane. Or that beneath her sleeveless dress, Laelia appeared to be wearing a men's white shirt, the sleeves done up to stay out of her way while she fired her arrows.

 _When did she take up archery_? Elpis wondered. Was it true about her and Ravus? What had she done in the five years since the Long Night began? There were so many things Elpis wanted to ask her.

Most of all, she wanted to fall to her knees and beg Laelia's forgiveness.

Something of those thoughts most have passed on Elpis' face, because she saw Laelia's expression change. She lowered her bow slightly, a furrow appearing between her brow, and Elpis didn't think twice.

She ran forward and had her arms around Laelia before anyone could react. She hugged her sister tightly, gasping in the scent of her shampoo, floral and bright. Laelia let out a small 'oomph'.

"Hey," Laelia said, uncertain at first, then indignant. "Hey!"

She pushed Elpis away, then stopped when she saw that Elpis was crying. "Damnit," Laelia said, "that-that isn't fair! You don't get to cry after five years without ever coming to see me or-or talk to me-and-"

"Look at you," Elpis said, cupping Laelia's cheeks. "You're beautiful."

Laelia blushed and almost pouted. "Ellie," she said in exasperation, "now is not the time!"

"She's got a point," Prompto said, motioning to the wall and the city behind them. "I mean, sorry, but-"

"Oh, shove it," Elpis said with a laugh, bringing Laelia into another hug.

Laelia grumbled, then stopped as Ravus stepped closer. He set a hand on her shoulder. Elpis pulled away enough to watch as the two shared a look, an entire conversation happening without either of them uttering a word, and she knew Aranea had been telling her the truth.

Her little sister had caught the heart of the King of Tenebrae. _Well,_ Elpis thought, _and who could blame him for falling?_

With a sigh, Laelia set her bow on her back and nodded at Ravus. Ignis seemed to catch on to the shift in the air between everyone, as he gently said, "Let's rest and come up with a plan to get through the wall."

"We're not killing Ardyn," Elpis said, never taking her eyes off Laelia.

Silence met her declaration before everyone shuffled off. That much, at least, they had agreed upon before leaving Hammerhead: Ardyn was hers. She had made each and every one of them promise that no matter what, they wouldn't try to kill Ardyn until she herself was dead.

Laelia rose an eyebrow. "Do you even know how to save him?"

"No," Elpis said. "But I know that you and Ravus can't kill him, either. The prophecy won't allow it."

Laelia crossed her arms over her chest. "So you'll let the prophecy work in your favor, but not ours?"

She couldn't stop a small scoff of disbelief. "If you think _this_ -" Elpis motioned to the dark world around them, "-is the prophecy working in my favor, then you're a little off the mark."

Elpis paused, then said, "I know I really hurt you. And I could apologize forever, but I can't give you what you want. I can't abandon Ardyn."

"Oh, for-" Laelia rolled her eyes and turned away from Elpis. "I'm your sister! You were always supposed to put me first! That guy is a monster, Ellie. He made his choices and thousands of people have died because of it. Niflheim happened because of him!"

"I know," Elpis said evenly. "I know all that. I know what he's done. I've spent so much time thinking these last five years," Elpis said, "as I saw what Ardyn helped bring about, this Long Night, and how people suffered. And I know it's wrong, and that he has done things that are wicked and horrible, but..."

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Laelia would never forgive her for what she was about to say, but Elpis knew it needed said. Not only for Laelia's sake, but for Noctis', so everyone knew where she stood.

"But you know what I've decided, after all this time? _I don't care_. I don't care that Ardyn has been wicked. I don't care if he's done enough to deserve forgiveness from anyone. I forgive him. And _I want my husband back_."

Laelia stared at her in shock. Elpis gave her a sad smile.

"All my life has been spent putting others before myself," Elpis said. "Not just this life, but my first one. And look where that got me. So this time, I'm being selfish. If that means I have to fight you in order to get past you into the city, then it'll break my heart to do it, but I will. Don't force me to choose between you and Ardyn, Laelia."

"Why," Laelia sneered, "because you'll choose him over me, every time?"

"No," Elpis said. "Because I'd tear myself in two. I'm not just choosing Ardyn: I'm choosing the world. The gods don't get their way this time. I'll save Ardyn and the world."

She hesitated, then took a guess: "You would do the same now, wouldn't you? If it came between someone you loved that you wanted to save?"

To emphasize her point, Elpis glanced over at Ravus, who was listening in on their conversation without shame. He met her gaze steadily before looking to Laelia. Her guess proved true when Laelia's cheeks darkened with color.

"You're choosing his side," Elpis said. "But there don't have to be sides."

"We all want the same thing," Noctis interjected. "We want an end to the daemons and the Long Night. Right?"

"He killed Lunafreya," Ravus ground out.

"I know," Noctis said. "Believe me, I didn't forget. But killing him isn't going to bring her back."

Elpis decided not to mention that Alexus had said bringing Lunafreya back to life was a possibility. She had no way of knowing if that had been a lie, and she didn't want to raise Ravus' hopes only to crush them later.

"Would it not bring you more satisfaction to see Ardyn brought to justice?" Ignis said. "If he lives, that can happen."

Despite trying to keep the emotion from her expression, Elpis winced. Ravus' gaze slid over to Noctis.

"Is that true?" Ravus asked levelly. "If you happen to live as well, would you see him brought to justice for his crimes? For Lunafreya?"

Squaring his shoulders, Noctis slowly nodded, never once looking at Elpis.

"I will," Noctis said.

 _Great,_ Elpis thought. If she lived through this, she'd have to fend off Noctis and Ravus. Wasn't it bad enough she would have to deal with Eos and Bahamut?

Laelia frowned and looked to Ravus, biting her lip in contemplation. Elpis didn't dare hope that she had gotten through to her sister. Noctis turned to her. They all seemed to be waiting for some response from her.

Instead of telling them all to go to hell, Elpis took a deep breath. "If we live," she said, "then we can decide what to do about Ardyn afterwards."

"That's not a promise," Laelia said.

"I'm not making promises," Elpis said. "The only promise I swear right now is to make certain that both Ardyn and Noctis live through this. The gods don't get their blood."

"We can agree on that," Gladio said, after having stayed silent and watched the proceedings.

"Which brings us back to the bigger question at the moment: How do we get past the wall?" Ignis asked.

As he, Gladio, and Prompto began making a plan, Elpis approached Ravus as he watched her impassively.

"You were willing to kill a god in Altissia for your sister," Elpis said. "Are you willing to do that still, for the good of the world?"

There was a long pause before Ravus said, "The gods allowed Lunafreya to die for that boy." He shot a glance at Noctis, whose lips thinned. "I have no love for them any longer."

"In that, at least, we can agree and find mutual ground," Elpis said. "Help us defeat Bahamut. We can figure the rest out later."

Ravus glanced at Laelia, who only sighed before nodding slightly. Then he said, "It took an entire Niflheimian army to kill Shiva, and then it was only an aspect of her. Do you truly believe your little merry band will have any better fortune? Against the most powerful god of them all?"

"Honestly?" Elpis shared a look with Noctis and shrugged. "Who knows, at this point? But I'm willing to try."

"We're all mad, perhaps," Ravus noted, as Prompto and Gladio tried ramming a large log into the wall, only for it to shatter. "Madness and idiocy."

"Yeah, okay, that's enough," Noctis said. "Unless you have something helpful to add, keep it to yourself. And," he continued, holding out a hand, "give my father's sword back."

Ravus didn't quite sneer, but he came close. "I don't see a King worthy of it yet."

"Ravus!" Laelia said, putting her hands on her hips. "It wasn't yours to take."

 _What do you know,_ Elpis thought tiredly, _she does disapprove of some of Ravus' actions._ Elpis would never be so cruel or naïve as to say that Ravus had committed his own atrocities under Niflheim's control. But it would have been nice for Laelia to make that connection herself and maybe cut her some slack.

Just then, Vincent, who had long since grown bored with everyone standing around and not paying attention to him, went on point. All six eyes stared off into the distance, his ears alert.

"What is it, Vincent?" Elpis asked, following his gaze.

"Gods," she heard Laelia mutter, "now she has a pet Cerberus. She never even used to _like_ dogs."

Everyone went on edge, hands gripping their weapons, until Vincent's posture relaxed slightly. He went to stand by Elpis' legs with a quiet huff. When nothing emerged from the darkness, one by one they all came out of their fighting stances.

"Back to the matter at hand, then," Ignis said.

With that, they turned their attention to the wall. Just as Elpis was about to speak up, the air shivered, and the wall began to lower.

"That's not ominous at all," Prompto said, giving a nervous laugh.

"Guess we're being invited in," Gladio said, crossing his arms and giving the disappearing wall a distrusting look.

"Why wait to lower it?" Noctis wondered.

Elpis' gaze found its way to Ravus and Laelia. Had Bahamut been waiting for them both to arrive as well? But why? The fact that Laelia might have caught Bahamut's attention made a cold dread shiver down Elpis' spine.

"Should we go in?" Ignis asked.

"This is obviously a trap," Gladio said, though Elpis noted he didn't necessarily argue with Ignis' suggestion.

"We knew Bahamut had been expecting us already," Elpis said. "Let's just go before he decides to force us all in."

She began walking without waiting for anyone to agree, not even Noctis. Ardyn was only a few miles away. She wasn't going to waste a moment more while he waited in chains.

Footsteps hurried to her side. "I'm coming with you," Laelia said.

Elpis gave her a sidelong look. Laelia's chin jutted out, the exact same look she got whenever she was prepared to argue about something to the death.

"Okay," Elpis said, causing Laelia to almost trip.

"Okay?"

"I mean, am I happy? Hell no," Elpis said. "But I can't stand here and argue with you about it. You obviously know your way around a bow and arrow now," she glanced at the silver magitek bow Laelia was still carrying, "and I know you're expecting me to leave you behind again. I won't do that. Just… if things get serious, get out of the city. Save yourself. Don't worry about me or Noctis or anyone else but yourself."

Laelia turned her head back to look at Ravus, who was trailing behind them, keeping himself apart from the group. Lowering her voice, she said, "And—are you mad about Ravus?"

Elpis let out a slow breath. "Why would I be? You're an adult now. You don't need my approval for whoever you date."

"I know," Laelia said, then added in a quieter voice, "But I want it. You're my sister, Ellie, even if you seem to keep forgetting that."

 _Ouch._ Elpis sighed again. "If he treats you right and you're happy, then yeah, I approve."

"Oh."

They fell silent as they all began making their way down the main bridge out of Insomnia. The waves crashed below them and Elpis tried not to remember the last time she'd been near an ocean. She caught everyone else giving the sea uneasy glances as well and was somewhat heartened to know that she wasn't the only one expecting Leviathan to emerge from the depths and swallow them whole.

It took them a while to make it over the bridge, but soon it lowered itself onto the land of Insomnia. Debris littered the road, and the physical wall that had once stood proudly was beginning to crumble and fall away. The worst part was the overwhelming silence. After so long abandoned, nature should have moved back in to take up the space humans had left, but Elpis heard no birds or other signs of life in the ruins.

That was what Insomnia had become: Ruins. Most of the buildings in the outskirts still stood, having come through Niflheim's attack unscathed, but others were nothing but rubble. Saplings grew in the cracks of the concrete and vines were slowly growing over the buildings. Every now and then a streetlamp would flicker before dying back out. The darkness was so thick in places it felt tangible.

Noctis grew quieter the deeper they went into the city. Elpis could only imagine the weight on his shoulders and his heart at seeing his home as it was. They passed by a few places Elpis recognized, shops she had gone to, bakeries and cafes she had taken Laelia and Alexus.

At the moment, seeing the destruction around them, Elpis felt the enormity of the task of rebuilding everything. It would take years for Insomnia to come back from this. It would always bear some scars.

Once they were in the city, some of the tension eased with no longer being near the ocean. Laelia began to tell Elpis of how, over the last five years, she had studied magitek. She'd also had surgery on her leg to help stabilize it, though she'd always need to wear the elaborate brace Elpis saw her wearing then, and her gait was still stiff at times on that side of her body. She had come so far in five years.

Elpis desperately hated that she had kept herself from seeing any of it.

Maybe there would be time to see the things the future held for her sister after the Long Night.

She'd forgotten how big Insomnia was in the last five years. On foot, it took them hours to make it close to the Citadel. All the while, they were completely alone.

"Not to jinx us," Prompto said, his voice hushed, "but shouldn't there be daemons around?"

"They want us to get closer to the Citadel," Ignis guessed.

"To Ardyn," Noctis said.

A sliver of unease wound through Elpis. If they were being led to Ardyn, what was waiting for them at the Citadel? All the most powerful daemons to keep them from him? Or something worse?

"Let's be ready," Gladio said, summoning his broadsword. The others did the same as Elpis, Laelia, and Ravus readied their weapons.

"There's the Citadel," Noctis said, peering around a corner. He frowned. "There's… fire?"

Elpis' stomach dropped. _Alexus_. Were they waiting for everyone?

"Wait," Ravus said, pulling Noctis back by the shoulder, earning him a glare. "Something is coming out of the palace."

"Something," Ignis said, "or someone?"

Something, she wasn't certain what, drew her forward. Elpis stepped past Ravus and Noctis, past Laelia who reached out for her with a hiss of her name. Elpis knew what she would find even before she rounded the corner.

Darkness, pulsing and angry, trailed behind the creature as it shambled down the steps of the Citadel. Long, black claws left trails in the concrete. Heavy horns adorned his head as Starscourge dripped from the fangs in his overly large mouth.

"Ardyn," Elpis breathed.

The creature paused. His head swung towards the sound of her voice, glowing yellow eyes fixing on her, and he had too many eyes, along his cheek and jaw and his neck. They all stared at her.

"Ardyn," Elpis said louder, heart in her throat, as she began to run towards him.

The daemon that Ardyn had become watched her for only a moment before letting out an ear-splitting howl and lunging for her, claws aimed for her throat.

* * *

Well, how about that.

Also: Two _Hamilton_ references! I regret nothing.


	25. Death and the Lady

**CONTENT WARNING:** Body horror, animal death, and gore in this chapter, folks, as well as a lot of skeletons!

* * *

Stayed with me - so violently  
Played all your games on me

Broke all the chains just in time  
A leap of faith made me fall back in line  
- _Black Box Messiah_ , Diablo Swing Orchestra

* * *

It happened faster than Elpis could think. One moment, Ardyn was several feet ahead of her, and the next he was close enough that she could smell putrid flesh and blood.

She saw his claws sharpen, knew they were headed for her throat, and knew at the same time that she had no chance of protecting herself.

Something yanked her back, hard, eliciting a yelp from Elpis. Ardyn's claws sank into the ground, pieces of concrete flying through the air. Elpis tumbled to her back in a bruising landing and scrambled to her feet.

"You okay?" Gladio asked as he stood as well, greatsword in hand.

A purple arrow shot through the air and found its mark in Ardyn's shoulder. He yowled.

"This is why we don't approach daemons!" Laelia yelled, aiming another arrow.

"No!" Elpis yelled, but it was lost as Ardyn roared again and charged for her and Gladio. "Ardyn, please, stop!"

"I don't think he hears you," Noctis said as they all backed away from the raging daemon. He summoned his Armiger and took up a sword.

"You swore," Elpis hissed, turning on Noctis. "You _swore_ to me that you would let me handle Ardyn."

"Look out!" Laelia's warning came in time for them to all dodge another swipe of Ardyn's claws, which found purchase in the Citadel wall and became stuck. He struggled to pull them free before a large, popping crack was heard, and his arm detached from his body. Ardyn left it there as bile rose in Elpis' throat.

"Holy-" Prompto gagged.

Elpis heard the growl before she saw Vincent bolt past her. "No," she gasped.

If the daemon heard her, he chose not to listen. Vincent's center jaws clamped down on Ardyn's thigh while his other two tried to reach his arms. Ardyn let out a growl of his own and picked the dog up by the neck before throwing him high in the air and, once he fell down enough, slamming his elongated foot into Vincent. The daemon let out a heartrending cry as it flew through the air and crashed into a marble wall. Elpis heard Vincent's spine snap as he fell to the ground and dissipated into darkness.

Her heart cracked further.

"Use your common sense, should you have any," Ravus said as he took up a position in front of Laelia. "He is past saving."

"Hey," Laelia snapped, "don't talk that way to her!"

"Focus," Ignis said, his tone tight.

Leaving a trail of Starscourge in his wake from his missing arm, Ardyn regained his footing. Then darkness grew from his torso and took the form of a new arm. The sight was horrifying, yet Elpis couldn't look away.

This, then, was how the gods tried to force the prophecy to come true. If Ardyn couldn't regain his senses, then he would die fighting all of them, and maybe kill Noctis in the process.

Even if they all hacked him apart, the chances were likely he would just reform. She had to stop them before any of them got hurt.

 _If I have any power left in me,_ Elpis thought as she searched for an opening, _then please, let me have it now._

"What are you-hey!" Noctis yelled at her as Elpis ran towards Ardyn, who saw her with all his numerous, terrible eyes, his long tongue slavering.

Elpis took her stave and pinned it into the ground. _Please,_ she begged, _just for a moment, give me a wall of my own._

She hadn't expected anything to happen. But it did: A wall sprang up, thick and bright, between her and the rest of the group. The strength of it took her aback. There was no time to wonder about it as she heard Ardyn's low growl.

"Ellie, no!" Laelia brought her bow down on the wall, which shuddered but held.

Elpis let go of her stave, which held firm to the ground. She spared one glance to Noctis, who looked back at her with growing fear-but maybe also understanding.

And then she turned to Ardyn.

He growled, heading lowering as he prepared to charge.

"Ardyn," she said, quietly. "Please. I know you can hear me."

Maybe she imagined it, but she thought she saw him pause, just briefly, just enough to give her a glimmer of hope. It was that hope that made her hold out her hand to him, palm up.

"I'm sorry I didn't come sooner," Elpis said. "I know that's why you're lost now. But please, please, hear me. Come back to me."

A soft whine escaped from Ardyn as he shook his head, his eyes losing focus. He backed away from Elpis while she stepped forward.

"It's okay," Elpis said, soothingly. "It's me. It's your El. Wherever you are in there, I can find you. Let me find you."

She heard her wall crack and knew she was running out of time.

Ardyn stood stock still, watching her as a feral animal would, his gaze stuck on her hand. He didn't move away when Elpis approached him, her steps soft on the ground. He tensed but did not move.

"Death didn't keep me from you," Elpis said as she carefully placed a hand on his chest, where his heart was. "This can't keep you from me, either. Whatever they've done to you, you're stronger than it. I know you are. Come back to me. Come back to your El."

Another whine escaped from him as his eyes rolled in different directions. He shook his head again, huffing. Without any fear, Elpis reached up for his cheeks, not even cringing when her fingers found the cold touch of the eyes in his jawline.

Should she have been disgusted, or maybe terrified, of touching such an eldritch beast? She couldn't be. Not when she knew it was Ardyn beneath the façade.

"I love you," Elpis whispered, then pulled him down into a kiss.

Nothing happened for a moment. Then Ardyn recoiled with a gasp, pulling her hands from his face and holding on tight to them as he began to change. He fell to his knees as the bones in his body split, cracked, and shifted back into the form they'd once been. The horns fell away from his head and his skin closed up over the eyes. His claws withdrew, his fangs once more became human in a normal mouth.

Elpis joined him on the ground and held him close as he continued to shudder and gasp. She could feel the muscles beneath his skin moving. The taste of rot still lingered in her mouth, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

Ardyn wheezed, then let out a quiet, "El."

"That's right," Elpis said, closing her eyes as tears slid down her cheeks. "It's your El."

Shakily, Ardyn wound his arms around her, holding on to her tightly. Behind her, Elpis heard her wall finally fall away. Her stave clattered to the ground. Even when the others cautiously approached, Ardyn kept his grip on her tight. She might have been the only thing keeping him from sinking back under.

"I saw it," Ardyn mumbled against her body, "you, and Somnus, again and again and again, and Aurea-"

"Shh," Elpis said, stroking his head as Noctis came to stand beside her. "It was a nightmare. That's all."

She would end Bahamut for this.

Ardyn shuddered hard once more, then pulled away from her, gazing up at her face. Trails of Starscourge still stained his cheeks and mouth, but otherwise he appeared human. Slowly, he took note of everyone who had gathered around them, gaze lingering on Noctis.

Then, that smile Elpis so adored appeared on his face as he said, "A welcoming party, just for me? You shouldn't have."

A small laugh escaped her as she threw her arms around his shoulders once again and hugged the man she had missed for the past five years. Ardyn gave a small 'oomph' before hugging her back, pressing a kiss to her hair.

Elpis helped Ardyn to his feet, his body swaying slightly until he caught his balance again. The weight of him, the solidity of his body, made her want to weep. For five years, she had missed this. She had missed his presence, even if his body was cold as death, even if she couldn't hear a heart beating in his chest. She missed his clever eyes and sharp smile and his gentle hands.

She had missed the way Ardyn made her feel whole. It was as if a piece of her soul had been torn from her when they'd been separated. Now it was back and Elpis swore to herself, to the gods, to the stars themselves, that she would never again feel that way. She would never let Ardyn fall through her fingers like sand again, to be used as a plaything of the gods.

* * *

"I take it none of you are here to kill me?" Ardyn said idly as he wiped the black Starscourge from his cheeks. "If you are, do give me a moment. I would hate to temporarily die without looking my best."

"We're not," Noctis said, crossing his arms over his chest. Ardyn could tell from his expression that the little prince-or was it king, now?-was not pleased to see him. The boy looked older to Ardyn's eye, and he realized that he had no idea how long he'd been in his cursed slumber. In fact, everyone looked older - including Elpis.

"Speak for yourself," Ravus muttered, and Ardyn glanced at him. The glare Ravus levelled at Ardyn was strong enough to cause lesser people to soil themselves in terror.

Ardyn, not being a lesser man, only widened his smile. "Ravus! What a pleasant surprise. How very good it is to see old friends."

"Friends might be overselling it," Gladio said.

"Accomplices?" Prompto suggested, putting a hand to his chin, pretending to be contemplative.

"Temporary allies," Ignis said. " _Reluctant_ allies, for lack of any better candidates."

"Truly," Ardyn said, pressing a hand to his heart, "you wound me."

"If only," Ravus deadpanned.

Noctis cocked his head in Elpis' direction. "We're only putting up with you for her sake. Don't let it get to your head."

"Too late," Ardyn said brightly, gazing down at Elpis. The smile she gave him was small and tired. Her whole body suggested a fatigue of the sort that settled in the bones. How long had he been chained? How long had Elpis had to fight by herself?

Ardyn kept his arm around her, holding her close, because if he didn't, Somnus would-

No. Somnus was dead. The gods had placed him into a deep sleep and had made him see things: Things that had been, and what might have been, once upon a time. Somnus, his sword through Elpis' heart. Her blood staining Somnus' robes. Ardyn as King, Elpis as his beautiful Queen, and their daughter.

If he didn't know any better, Ardyn might have thought he felt his heart crack at the memory. He'd never gotten to see Elpis' visions of their daughter. He hadn't known what she looked like, past what Elpis described. Now he knew. He could picture her face clearly, and for a brief moment, the loathing of Somnus he'd held for two thousand years threatened to swallow him whole again. His own brother had taken that life from him. Somnus had taken the life of Elpis' child, and Ardyn did not know if he could ever forgive it.

But no, in the end, Somnus was not entirely at fault. The blame lay with the gods and their Crystal.

Once, Ardyn had sworn to cleanse the world. Once, it had been by healing, with the light gifted to him and Elpis. Later, it had been with fire and blood and death and destruction.

The only way to avenge Aurea now was to cleanse the world. This time, with the blood of gods.

"So," Prompto's voice brought Ardyn out of his thoughts. "What do we do, now?"

"Wait," said a woman that Ardyn didn't immediately recognize as Laelia, "you were serious about not having any plans?"

Elpis snorted, then pressed a hand to her mouth. "Sorry," she said when everyone turned to look at her. "It's not funny. But yeah, we're kind of winging it."

"We have to get to Bahamut somehow," Noctis said, turning to look at the palace.

"Or he has to come to us," Gladio said.

Ardyn turned to look at Ravus. "Might you share your sister's talent for calling the gods?"

The tip of a sword pointed at his face was his answer.

"Keep her name out of your filthy mouth," Ravus hissed.

Ardyn pushed the sword aside. "I didn't say her name, if we were to be technical," he said.

"Ravus," Laelia said, pulling the little puppy away, and wasn't _that_ an interesting development? "Come on. He's not worth it."

"She's correct," Ardyn agreed affably.

"I'm starting to regret coming out of the Crystal," Noctis said to his three friends.

A blood curdling scream stopped anyone from responding. Elpis cringed in his arms, hands going to her ears, as the others snapped from their relaxed postures to fighting stances. The fire that had been burning around the palace burst to life once more. Laelia pulled the string on her bow, a purple arrow appearing between her fingers, and Ravus took up position behind her.

"Is it daemons?" Prompto asked, scanning their surroundings.

"No, you fools," Ardyn said, already staring up at the sky. "It's far worse."

Above the palace, a long, blue-green body covered in scales circled the towers. Lightning cracked in the sky and thunder followed as an old man used his staff to gather stormclouds above the palace. Long fissures appeared in the ground and Ardyn only just pulled Elpis away from one that opened up between her feet as a figure loomed over the courtyard from behind a nearby building.

"Seriously?! All of them at once?" Prompto said, then yelled as he dodged falling rubble.

"We have to find cover!" Gladio said, pulling up a large shield to protect himself and Noctis from the water that the Leviathan whipped at them.

Elpis held tight to Ardyn, even as she looked around wildly for her sister. Laelia was sheltering in a small alcove, Ravus' body blocking the worst of the wind from her.

"There is nowhere to go," Ardyn said, his voice lost to the cacophony of sound. "They'll only destroy whatever building we hide in." He let out a grunt as something slashed across his back, felt the Starscourge soak into his clothes. Pain, bright and searing, bloomed up and down his spine.

Titan broke a skyscraper in two and hurled it towards the courtyard. Ardyn pulled Elpis into his arms, intending to shield her with own body and the Starscourge, even if he should die in the process.

"Ardyn," he heard her gasp.

And then he felt the world go bright as the roar of the Astrals suddenly disappeared. The hit from Titan's attack never landed. Water fell from the sky uselessly, and even the rumble of thunder was faint.

When he looked once more, a figure all in white stood in the courtyard, trident in hand. Sylleblossom petals fell from the sky as Lunafreya took a step forward, then another, looking up at the sky.

"A path the True King and the Lady of Hope need," Lunafreya said, "to cleanse our star of darkness' blight. Hear me, O Gods, and know this: The War God's reign ends with the dawn."

Lunafreya raised her trident and brought the end of it down before her. Light poured from her, growing and rising, until it formed a wall. It covered the Citadel, Leviathan's water whips hitting it uselessly, lightning striking it to no avail. Only when Ardyn was certain that the gods could not penetrate the protection did he let go of Elpis, who stood still in shock as she stared at Lunafreya.

"Oh, please," Ardyn murmured. "You've done far more impressive."

She elbowed him in the stomach, though not hard.

Noctis and Ravus both approached Lunafreya's spirit. She gave Ravus a small smile, approaching him to lean up and whisper something in his ear. He went still, gaze on the ground, as she went over to Noctis.

"Go, my King," she said. She then looked to all of them, her gaze resting briefly on Ardyn before moving back to Noctis. "All of you. Though the Crystal sleeps, it is there you must go, to find the path to end this darkness. Bahamut compels his brethren to attack the Citadel, but they will not pass."

"Luna," Noctis said, his voice quiet, then he slowly reached for her.

Her expression broke minutely. She hoisted her trident once more and tilted it towards the Citadel. "You must hurry," she said. "Every wall will eventually crumble."

Ardyn thought he should feel some sort of guilt at the stricken expression on Noctis' face. As it was, he was all too willing to listen to Lunafreya's sensible advice and, most importantly, get Elpis out of the line of fire.

"How long can she hold it?" Elpis said quietly, casting a nervous look at the wall.

"Let's not find out," Ardyn said as he pulled her towards the grand entrance.

"The gods are going to tear Insomnia apart trying to break past the wall," Laelia said as she and Ravus joined the others on the stairs. "There won't be anything left to save."

"Buildings can be rebuilt," Gladio said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "But only if someone's able to rebuild them."

"I wouldn't worry too much," Ignis said. He tapped a finger to his ear, and it was then that Ardyn saw he was wearing an earpiece. "Aranea and the rest of the Hunters have been waiting for my signal. They'll keep the gods busy while we finish this."

"Hah!" Prompto said, shoving Ignis happily. "We shoulda known you had at least one plan up your sleeve."

"I do hedge my bets," Ignis said, a hint of smugness in his tone.

Ardyn turned to find Noctis with one foot on the first stair, his gaze still on Lunafreya as she stood sentinel in the courtyard. With a small sigh, Ardyn said, "Come along, Your Majesty. History waits for no one. Least of all Kings."

Noctis took a shuddering breath, squared his shoulders, and turned away from Lunafreya. He came up the steps and didn't spare Ardyn a glance as he walked past them all into the palace.

"Ardyn," Elpis said quietly, taking his hand in hers. "Whatever happens in there, do not sacrifice yourself for me again. Swear to me you won't."

"Now, darling," he purred, "that's hardly sporting of you. How else can I be your knight in shining armor?"

The look she gave him was the furthest thing from amused that he could imagine. Ardyn kissed her hand and said, "I cannot make that promise, El, so do not ask it of me. All I can promise is to stay by your side, no matter what, and if it comes down to a choice between your life or mine, then yours is the one I will choose. Always."

* * *

What exactly did royalty need with so much space?

As they made their way through the palace, their footsteps echoing in the empty corridors, Elpis tried to imagine living in a place that had a hundred rooms and failed. None of the elevators worked, and so they were reduced to making their way to the throne room through endless corridors and stairways and servant hallways.

Which meant that they couldn't avoid the skeletons that littered the floors in places. Some still held their weapons, their Imperial or Lucian military garb flat and beginning to fall apart. Old blood had long since dried on the marble.

Laelia stared at one pile of skeletons before shooting Ardyn a dark look.

A hush had fallen over the group. Bruises had begun to form on Elpis' body, and the adrenaline was beginning to wear off, leaving a shake in her fingers and knees. At times the Citadel would shake with tremors, hard enough that she feared it might crumble, but it always held. The gods seemed far away behind the marble walls.

At one point, Laelia had gently asked Ravus what Lunafreya had said to him. He had stopped and, with a calmly resigned tone of voice, said, "She bade me to return the sword that once belonged to the father. A father who so loved the world that, though it ended him, gave his only son to protect. A son who had proven himself worthy to wield it."

Noctis had blinked at that, whether from surprise or because he was trying not to cry, Elpis wasn't certain.

In the future, parents would not be forced to choose between their children or the world. Fathers like Regis wouldn't have to live with the knowledge that their child would have to die to fulfill a prophecy. Whether a king or a commoner, no blood would have to be shed.

Elpis didn't know how she would make certain it would happen. All she knew was that she would. Whatever it took, she would see an end to the whims of gods.

In the end, Ravus had handed King Regis' sword to Noctis and had inclined his head in deference. Noctis had taken it in silence, staring at it for a long moment, before quietly saying, "Thanks."

It was not meant for Ravus. Briefly, Elpis felt eyes on them, and knew that Regis looked upon his son once more.

For once, Ardyn kept his thoughts to himself. He had yet to let go of Elpis' hand. She was more than fine with that.

All too soon and yet not soon enough, they came upon the double doors of the throne room. Ravus, who'd had to carry Laelia up the rest of the stairs as her leg wouldn't allow her anything more, carefully set her down. One by one, as through some unspoken understanding, they came to a stop.

Noctis turned to them. "Last chance to turn around," he said.

"Never," Ignis said.

"C'mon, buddy," Prompto said. "Not after we came all this way."

"End of the line and beyond," Gladio said. "Make sure you make it worth our while, got it?"

"Do get on with it," Ardyn drawled.

"Shut up," Noctis said. He looked to Ravus and Laelia, but before he could say anything, Laelia spoke up.

"I mean, I'm more here for Ellie's sake than yours, and Ravus'," she said. "No offense."

"None taken," Noctis said drily. He seemed to decide to not even given Ravus a chance to say anything sarcastic. Instead he turned to Elpis, and the trust she saw in his blue eyes nearly overwhelmed her. "Are we ready to do this?"

Were they? Elpis couldn't say. She didn't think they could be prepared for what might lie beyond the doors.

She offered him a steady smile that did not reflect the growing anxiety in her heart. "Ready when you are, Your Majesty."

He nodded once, then twice, and took a deep breath.

And then he turned and pushed open the doors to the throne room. They all followed Noctis in, their footsteps overly loud in the cavernous room. Years of dust left everything in a grey sheen, and a hole in the wall let in what minimal light there was to be had. Debris and rubble was spread across the floor. And yet, the throne itself remained untouched.

Behind it, hanging from chains that were stuck to it by lances, hung the Crystal. The unearthly blue glow that Elpis remembered was gone; it seemed only a lifeless rock. That did not stop the shiver of trepidation pass through her.

Ardyn squeezed her hand, to remind her that he was there, and she took comfort in the feel of his skin.

"What now?" Prompto asked, when several minutes had passed in a strange reverent quiet.

Ardyn waved a lazy hand. "I assume they await the King to take his rightful place," he said, and if there was a note of venom in his tone, no one called him out on it.

Noctis hesitated before beginning to climb the stairs that led up to the throne. Something glittered in Elpis' eyes, drawing her attention down to the marble floor. Through the grime and dust, she thought she saw a pattern in the floor, lines that she couldn't quite make sense of. Some of them were obscured by debris. Idly, she kicked away a small rock that was beside her boot, trying to uncover more of the pattern.

She stopped when Noctis' footsteps went silent. When she looked up, he was on the throne. He looked small against the towering figures behind him, and Elpis wondered at the palace Somnus had built, at the throne he'd stolen. It looked big enough to consume the person who sat on it. It looked monstrous.

A moment passed. Then another.

Ardyn smiled. "Performance issues, perhaps?"

Noctis looked like he wanted to throw Ardyn out through the hole in the wall. Elpis did not entirely blame him.

As everyone besides herself, Ardyn, and Laelia began to speculate what might need to be done, Elpis found her attention wandering back to the floor. There was something familiar in the pattern that nagged at the back of her mind. The lighter colored lines on the dark marble that formed hard lines of triangles and squares that she could swear she'd seen before.

Then it came to her: The cavern in Somnus' tomb. The Sun sigil etched into the floor.

Elpis moved more debris until she had cleared away the picture on the floor. She stood, breathing quick, as she took in the large Sun that rested on the floor of the Lucis throne room.

"El?" Ardyn asked, coming up beside her. He followed her gaze and frowned.

"I..." Elpis shook her head. "I've seen this before. And I think it's meant for me-"

A choked gasp cut off the rest of what she'd been about to say. Elpis and Ardyn both spun around as one, Ardyn's Armiger spinning around them, Elpis realizing she'd left her stave back in the courtyard. Laelia cried out as Ravus fell, a hand to his throat, blood gushing down his front and staining the white of his robes.

"Ravus!" Noctis yelled, then stopped in horror as something darted between Ignis, Prompto, and Gladio.

Slashes appeared across all of their throats. Blood sprayed, staining the steps of the throne, and they fell, choking and gurgling on their own blood.

Like a nightmare, Elpis ran for Laelia, reaching for her, only to watch in horror as an identical slash appeared across Laelia's throat. Her sister fell to the floor beside Ravus, body twitching for eternity, then falling as still as the others.

"No," Elpis whispered, then let out a guttural cry. " _Laelia_!"

"And that, dear children," a familiar voice said, "is why we always wear protection on our necks."

Alexus stood on a statue behind the throne, hair blazing like fire in the dark. Blood dripped from their claws. They bowed theatrically and cut a sharp grin at Elpis.

"Miss me, Ellie?"

* * *

Lots of updates this week, but that's because it's my birthday this Sunday, and I'm not sure how much I'll be able to get online over the weekend.

The title was taken from "Der Tod und das Mädchen", or "Death and the Maiden", which was a common motif in Renaissance art. However, since I'm white, I asked a Black friend of mine, De'Sias, before committing to the title. He asked a friend of his, and with both their advice, I changed it to "Lady". It's not my place to reclaim "maiden" for a Black woman like Elpis, and the connotations of the maiden being weak weren't welcome. Lady has the same gentle connotation as maiden but with more strength, I think. If that makes sense. Thank you to De'Sias and his friend for helping!

Just a little further to go, now...


	26. Draconian

CONTENT WARNING: So much blood, y'all.

* * *

Made peace with what I held for true  
Have faith in what I now must do

Sweet devotion, a sacred smile  
Traded my secrets so you'll never leave my side  
- _Black Box Messiah_ , Diablo Swing Orchestra

* * *

Elpis stared at Laelia's body, uncomprehending.

Her sister was dead.

A sob tried to work its way past her throat but stuck. She couldn't breathe. Her heartbeat roared in her ears.

Laelia was dead.

With a yell, Noctis threw his sword above Alexus' head, his body glowing blue before it disappeared. He reappeared a second later in the air and swung his sword down on thin air. The surprise made his body overcorrect and he fell on the pile of rubble that was next to the throne.

"None of that," Alexus tutted from behind Elpis.

She twisted around as Ardyn's arm pushed her back. She fumbled for the dagger in her boot, one thought repeating itself in her mind: _I'm going to kill Alexus._

"El, no," Ardyn said, grabbing her arm to hold her in place. There was a hint of fear in his expression, and Elpis realized he was afraid of her being killed by the Messenger.

Alexus gave Elpis a long look. "You should know what needs to happen next," they said. "Gods always want blood, don't they? Don't disappoint us, Ellie."

Then they were gone.

Elpis realized she was trembling. Her mouth watered just before her stomach lurched and she vomited up acid. Ardyn's hands were on her shoulders, giving her something to anchor to, but it didn't help.

Laelia was _dead_.

Gently, Ardyn wiped away the spit from her chin and lips. Noctis stood over the bodies of his friends, bloodied footprints marring the floor.

Elpis blinked through her tears. The floor. The sigil, in plain view of the throne.

"What… what do we do now?" Noctis' voice sounded small, making Elpis thinking of a child.

"El?" Ardyn said softly. He rubbed her back and tried to meet her gaze. "Say something, love."

With a shuddering breath, Elpis put her hands to her eyes and brushed away her tears. Focus. She had to focus. There was a reason Alexus had left them alive. She knew now that Alexus always did things for a reason, even if it seemed random at the time.

That meant there was something they all needed to do.

Gods always wanted blood.

"El," Ardyn said, more firmly, as he gripped her shoulders. His expression was worried, as if he thought she'd finally come untethered.

"I'm okay," she said hoarsely, voice shaking. With another deep breath, she closed her eyes briefly, knowing what she would have to do next would hurt Ardyn. She took his hands in hers. "I think I know what needs to happen. I need you to trust me."

Ardyn studied her face, and whatever he found in her expression, he seemed to dislike. "El, whatever it is you're planning, I don't approve," he said.

"I haven't told you yet."

"You don't need to."

Elpis kissed his palm before turning to Noctis. "Go back to the throne. It's where you're meant to be."

He didn't immediately respond. He could only stare down at his friends.

"Noctis," she said gently, "it has to be your choice."

He shuddered, then nodded once, tight, before turning and managing to make his way up the stairs once more to the throne. He sat heavily, as if his legs couldn't support him anymore. Regis' sword nearly fell to the floor, he had such a loose grip on it.

 _Mother,_ Elpis thought, _Charis, Laelia. Give me the strength to do what comes next. Let me not be wrong. Let this be the answer._

Elpis turned back to Ardyn who was looking increasingly worried. "Do you trust me?" she asked him.

"You shouldn't even need to ask."

She kissed him gently. "Then trust me now."

Ardyn growled low, ready to argue, but Elpis put a hand to his chest and sent out a burst of power that sent him reeling back. He hit the wall and slid to the floor as Elpis brought her dagger up to her neck.

"I'm sorry," was all she said before she slit her own throat, cutting her jugular.

* * *

Blood sprayed in a high arc and splattered against the walls before gushing out of Elpis' wound like a river, drenching her front. Elpis' body fell limp to the floor, the dagger she'd used landing with a loud clatter. Her blood began to pool beneath her and joined with Noctis' friends, Ravus, and Laelia.

A beat passed. Then another. Ardyn was there and not there, seeing this world and one long since past, when he'd been powerless to stop Somnus from killing Elpis. Where he could only watch as she bled out.

It was all happening again and he _couldn't stop it_.

With effort, Ardyn looked away from Elpis' body and to the Crystal.

"How much is enough?" he rasped, managing to get to his feet, unsteadily. "How many times does she have to die for you?"

"Ardyn," Noctis said.

"No," Ardyn hissed. "Shut up. She was made to die for you, you insufferable, worthless king-"

"Ardyn, look!"

Beneath Elpis' body, lines had begun to glow with golden light. Slowly they all connected to one another until they made up the image Elpis had been staring at before. That of a Sun.

The air chilled, and the golden light became tinged with a cold, unearthly blue. All along the stairs, the Kings of Yore stood. Though their faces weren't visible, their heads were turned downward as they regarded the sacrifices. Because that was what they'd been-that was what they'd forced Elpis to be. Their sacrificial lambs, led to the slaughter.

Ardyn walked over to Elpis, his boots squelching in her blood. Her eyes were closed. If he ignored the neat cut on her throat, if he ignored the blood, he could pretend she was merely sleeping. Gently, he picked her up, cradling her close.

"Are you ready?" One of the Kings asked, and Ardyn dimly recognized it as Regis' voice.

He heard Noctis breathe in, then out, and said, "I'm ready. Trust in me, Dad."

Old runes and sigils flickered in the air as the power in Noctis' ring was summoned for the last time. The weapons favored by the Kings appeared around him, and one by one, each King took up their weapon and slew Noctis with it.

Once, Ardyn would have loved nothing more than to watch him writhe and suffer. Now, he ignored it all. Let Noctis have his grand moment of heroism. Let the world end entirely with Noctis. Ardyn didn't care. Elpis was growing cold in his arms and nothing mattered at all.

"Brother."

Ardyn barely moved. "Somnus."

Beyond them, Noctis' breath came in a tortured wheeze. Somnus appeared beside Elpis in his human form, looking at Ardyn with a sort of tenderness that he despised.

"You said you trusted her," Somnus said. "Trust in her now."

Ardyn brushed some of Elpis' hair away from her face. "And what is there for me, now? What can I do?"

"Come find out," Somnus said. "She's waiting for you."

At that, Ardyn lifted his head. He studied Somnus for a long moment before smiling sardonically. "Back to this again, eh? How very poetic. Must it always end with the two of us? I've tired of looking at your face."

Softly, he kissed Elpis' forehead. He would hold on to her as long as he could.

"Do what you must, then," Ardyn said, and for once, he didn't care if this time he didn't return to the world of the living. Let him stay dead.

He was so tired.

Somnus picked up his sword, his human form shifting into that of his Lucii shape, and ran his sword through Ardyn's still heart. At the same moment, Regis struck Noctis. Ardyn felt himself disintegrate as the ring's blue light exploded throughout the throne room.

* * *

"So," Alexus said, "you figured it out."

Elpis punched them in the face. They took a few steps back, hand to their nose, before laughing.

"Touche," Alexus said. "I deserved that. Ah, ah," they said, stepping away as Elpis moved to punch them again, "that's enough of that. You need to save your strength for what comes next."

Elpis bared her teeth. "I can handle you and Bahamut."

"Sure," Alexus said, waving their hand carelessly.

They both stood in a field of wheat which stretched out as far as Elpis could see. The sky was a hazy, sickly looking yellow. Elpis wasn't sure what the Beyond looked like, having refused to let her soul ascend there after her death the first time, but it couldn't have been this.

"Where are the others? Let me go from here," Elpis demanded.

"Hmm," Alexus said, focusing more on moving their nose back into place. "I wonder if I'd look good with a broken nose? Girls dig that, right?"

"Alexus!"

"Fine!" Alexus sighed. "We don't have time for this, anyway, and there's still something I need to explain. Yeah, yeah, I know, why should you believe anything I say? Spare me. I won't ask forgiveness, because everything I've done has been for your benefit. You'll see. But before you rejoin the others, let me just say: It's going to take all of you to do what needs to be done, if you want to survive it. There's a reason the Crystal only kept Noctis for five years."

Her eyes narrowed as she thought back to their time in Gralea. Try as she might, she couldn't figure out what Alexus was talking about.

Alexus tapped their forehead with a claw. "Think about it, Elpis. The Crystal took Noctis so it could infuse him with its power. Something like that should have taken way longer."

Should it have? There was no way Elpis could know if Alexus was telling the truth. For all she knew, it should have taken Noctis a thousand years to absorb the Crystal's energy.

The wheat around them rustled, and Alexus' expression went dark. Fire suddenly spread in a circle around them with a roar.

"I guess time's up," Alexus said. "Fine, I'll give you an answer just this once, but you have to figure the rest out yourself. Your stave hit the Crystal when you tried to attack me, right? And shards broke off?"

Suddenly, she remembered. She stared at Alexus, eyes wide.

Alexus smiled briefly. "Yep. Six shards for six holy beings. One went into you..."

The fire grew to a blaze, and behind Alexus, a figure emerged from the flames. Their body was scarred with Starscourge, half-dead.

"... Three into Gladiolus, Prompto, and Ignis..."

Ifrit let out a wordless yell and hefted a weapon into the air.

"I'll be with you in a minute, Dad," Alexus said, their eyes never leaving Elpis' face. "And two went into Laelia and Ravus. And so now, you all have a sliver of the Crystal's power, but even a sliver is enough. You want to live after this is all done? I've given you half a chance. So, go kick Uncle Baha's ass for me."

With that, Alexus threw something at Elpis, who caught it. Her stave was almost weightless in the strange limbo dimension they were in.

Alexus turned to Ifrit, their claws growing longer. "Hey, Dad. Long time, no see."

A darkness appeared under Elpis' feet, and she had the sensation of falling, though no wind whipped around her. She reached out a hand as Alexus jumped into the air to meet Ifrit's blade.

"Alexus!" she yelled, terror gripping her heart, because as much as she hated Alexus, she knew that the Messenger wouldn't survive a battle with their father.

And they were battling Ifrit for her sake.

She was so tired of death and fighting. This had to be the end of it.

The wheat field melted away into a blue-green cosmos and something caught Elpis before she fell further. She landed softly, with no momentum giving her body any force, and felt familiar hands on her thighs and back.

"El," Ardyn said. " _Don't ever do that again_."

Elpis stared at him, her thoughts trying to catch up with what was happening, and then she threw her arms around his shoulders and hugged him tightly.

"I'm sorry," she repeated against his neck. "I think it was the only way."

"Then next time, let the world burn," Ardyn muttered.

Knowing there was nothing she could say to make it better, Elpis only kissed him. When the kiss ended, Elpis looked around and saw Noctis a few feet away, holding his hand to his chest.

"The ring-it's burning," Noctis said at Elpis' questioning look.

"How dramatic," Ardyn said in a bored tone.

Instead of pointing out the irony in Ardyn accusing something of being dramatic, Elpis put a hand on Noctis' shoulder. "Where are you friends? And Laelia, and Ravus?"

"I don't know," Noctis said. "I was alone when I got here, save for him."

"I think I've been delightful company while we've waited," Ardyn said.

"Please shut him up," Noctis said to Elpis.

A flap of wings interrupted anything Elpis could have said. She saw Ardyn tense out of the corner of her eye just as something dark flew past them, striking him away from her and Noctis.

Blue swords crossed their blades until they formed a circle with Ardyn at their middle. Chains appeared once more on his wrists and ankles, pulling his limbs taut. And above them, observing it all, was Bahamut.

"Noctis," Elpis said urgently, "summon your friends. Quickly. Just-just think of them. Bring them here."

"They will not come," Bahamut said, and his voice was so loud that it hurt Elpis' ears. "They have passed into the Beyond, felled by the Wild Flame."

"Don't listen to him," Elpis said as she turned to make her way to Ardyn, who was pulling at his chains. Something slammed into her and she flew through the air, arms flailing, trying to grab on to something to slow her fall. Elpis' descent finally stopped, but any time she tried to reach Ardyn, she was thrown back by another of Bahamut's swords.

"The True King thought to defy fate," Bahamut said. "As so many have tried, and will try again, and he has come to learn the truth: There can be no escape from fate. The prophecy must be fulfilled. It is ordained."

"By who? You?" Noctis ground out. "Who gets to decide fate? Who gets to decide that I have to die?"

"A King should always be prepared to sacrifice for his people. Did your father not teach you that?"

"Dad taught me a lot of stuff," Noctis said. "But I've learned that even parents can be wrong. He did what he thought he had to; he didn't have a choice. You didn't give him one."

"Enough," Bahamut said. "Attend to your duty, True King, and kill the Accursed as has been foretold. End the darkness."

"Until next time," Noctis said, cringing as his ring glowed. "Until you get bored again, and decide to use us as toys, or the next time there's a darkness."

"You cannot truly banish darkness," Ardyn said, his eyes shining gold. Starscourge began to drip from his mouth once again as his skin paled. "There will always be shadows."

"And then what?" Noctis yelled. "Someone else has to die? No. A King should sacrifice for his people, but he should also make sure that no one has to sacrifice themselves for anyone else. Not their King, their land, anything."

"Such sad creatures you are," Bahamut said. "Unable to accept your place in the cosmos."

"Does he ever shut up?" a familiar voice said.

Elpis' head snapped up, and there, all around Noctis, were Gladio, Prompto, Ignis, Ravus, and-

"Laelia!"

Laelia helped Elpis to her feet before glancing at Ardyn. "I guess we have to get him out, huh?" she said with a sigh.

"Cover me," Elpis said, stave in hand. She dodged another of Bahamut's blades, and another, but the next found its mark. Gritting her teeth, Elpis ran again, hearing Laelia blocking as many of the swords as she could.

Trails of Starscourge ran down Ardyn's cheeks as his body began to shift. He caught Elpis' gaze, his eyes gold and black, before letting out a growl. Darkness pulsed from him like a heartbeat, causing the chains to crack and Bahamut's swords to rust. Elpis ran, aimed her stave, and with a burst of power to match Ardyn's, struck the chains.

They broke into pieces, as did Bahamut's swords, and fell away to nothing. Ardyn landed on his feet easily.

"Well," Ardyn said, "as delightful as I find traversing down memory lane, I'm afraid we'll have to end this now. You made a mistake, you know," he continued as he gave Elpis a thorough once over, as if to make certain she weren't hurt. "Letting the Oracle and the light die has left me at the height of my powers. The scale has been tipped far in my favor."

"You cannot hope to defeat me," Bahamut said. "You are not powerful enough."

"Certainly not," Ardyn agreed cheerfully. He motioned to the group. "But I think all of us have a good chance."

"That's the thing with hope," Laelia said as runes and sigils appeared in the air around them, and energy poured from Noctis' ring.

"We mere mortals tend to never give it up," Ignis added as Prompto blew a raspberry at Bahamut.

Gladio grinned. "We're stubborn like that."

At the same moment, the Ring of the Lucii began to shine blue, and shapes appeared out from Noctis' back. With a pained scream, the royal arms shot out from Noctis' body. Ravus was the first to catch one of the swords, and he didn't wait for a command. He rushed Bahamut and dodged the Astral's blade, his own cutting through Bahamut's side. Prompto, Ignis, and Gladio followed him, their own weapons finding their targets. Bahamut grunted, but still stood, hands on his sword. Ardyn, with his own blade and not one of Noctis', laughed with a feral ferocity as he struck Bahamut in the chest, where the heart laid.

Bahamut lifted a hand, then let out a pained roar as a trident speared the back of his palm. Lunafreya shared a look with Elpis before her spirit dissipated.

Laelia hefted her crossbow and fired, the arrow hitting Bahamut's helmet. It cracked, and Elpis saw her chance. Two thousand years of pain and heartbreak and rage helped her across the space, escaping her in a furious scream, and she collected her Crystal's power in the end of her stave as it connected to Bahamut's helmet.

It broke, falling away, and Elpis caught a glimpse of a face that looked so much like Somnus' and Noctis' that she gasped. She fell back before she could see further. They all stood in a circle around Bahamut, who was bleeding from where Elpis had struck him, as Noctis lifted the Sword of the Father. Each royal arm joined him, striking Bahamut one after the other, until Noctis' sword cut through Bahamut's eye and stuck fast.

Bahamut only stood for a moment longer before he slowly fell to his knees. Gold blood poured from his wounds, and his wings began to decay as his body landed on an invisible ground with an earth-splitting crash. His body began to break apart, like ash, and float away, until nothing remained.

There was a long moment of silence before Prompto said, "Is... that it? Did we win?"

Breathing hard, Noctis fell to his knees, much like Bahamut had. Prompto, Gladio, and Ignis helped him back up. The Ring of the Lucii dropped from his fingers and crumbled away. "I think-" he coughed. "I think it's over. It's finally over."

Elpis caught a glance of Ravus taking hold of Laelia's hand before they both faded away. Fear shot through her. In their places were two blue shards, which fell until Elpis caught them.

"Laelia?" she whispered.

"El," Ardyn said, and the urgent note in his voice made her look towards Noctis and his friends.

They were all fading, just as Laelia and Ravus had, and just like them they left behind shards of the Crystal. Elpis caught all of them, staring at the five shards in her palm, uncomprehending. What was happening? Why had they vanished like that?

"Ardyn, I don't know what-"

A pained hiss interrupted her, and Elpis watched as Ardyn held his head in his hands. His skin paled even further, horns growing from his head, his nails lengthening until they became claws. Darkness pooled around him, alive, reaching out for everything in its path.

The Starscourge was still present in Ardyn. And Noctis was not there to cast it out of him.

* * *

Alexus put a hand to the wound in their abdomen, trying to still the blood, propping themselves up against a tree. Pain blazed through their body like a fire. They could feel when Bahamut disappeared from the Beyond. A few feet in front of them, Ifrit lay in the ashes of the wheat, the Starscourge draining from his body as Ardyn's body called it home. All the Starscourge in Eos would be drawn to Ardyn now.

It was sensing its doom. And it would do anything to avoid finally dying.

"You are making a habit of dying."

"Oh, fuck," Alexus groaned. "Not you. Anyone but you."

Rohit knelt down beside Alexus, examining their wounds with a neutral gaze. He looked over to Ifrit. "Our father rests once more," he noted.

"Along with good old Uncle Bahamut, yes, that was the plan," Alexus said.

Rohit tilted his head as he moved Alexus' hand away from the wound. "And what happens next, Azar? The girl isn't powerful enough to stop the Starscourge. She is no longer an Oracle, and only holds a slim fragment of the Crystal's power. Less, now, that she has used it on Bahamut. You have sent her to her death."

As the wound began to knit back together, causing Alexus to hiss through clenched teeth, Rohit stated all of this as if it were no matter. And to him, it wasn't. Humans came and went in the blink of an eye. Alexus pitied their twin for having lived so long and yet never learning any different.

"Remember that time I ate the heart of the Succarpe Queen?" Alexus said, their gaze on the horizon.

Rohit paused before saying, "Yes."

"The first and last time you tricked me," Alexus said. "You told me it would give me her powers. It didn't. But it did give me the ability to love humans," they said. "Still not sure how that works, but eh. I ate her heart and it changed me. I could no longer see humans as toys. And I fell in love with one."

"The Heretic," Rohit said, finishing on the worst of the wounds.

"Doomed love," Alexus said with a dramatic sigh.

"Do you have a point?" Rohit asked blandly.

"Yes," Alexus said. "The point is that I've learned a lot about humans in the thousands of years since I ate that heart. And they may not be gods, but they are damned powerful when they want to be. It's all because of hope."

Their twin didn't immediately answer. He was studying Alexus, a slight furrow to his brow, green eyes showing a hint of curiousity.

"What have you done, Azar?" Rohit said.

Alexus laid their head back against the tree and closed their eyes with a smile. "What needed to be done," they said. "And I can't wait to see your expression when you find out."


	27. The Revelation of Hope

**CONTENT WARNING:** So much body horror. We're talking things getting ripped out of people. Please take care.

* * *

I have lost the path before me  
The one behind will lead me

Take me, cure me, kill me, bring me home  
Every way, every day  
I keep on watching us sleep

Redeem me into childhood  
Show me myself without the shell  
- _Ghost Love Score_ , Nightwish

* * *

"Ardyn," Elpis said, stepping away from a tendril of Starscourge. "Listen to me. Don't let it control you."

Ardyn snarled. Elpis raised her stave to protect herself, mind whirring. She had just done this. She had just called him back from the brink, from the induced madness Bahamut had put him in. She could do it again.

She _had_ to do it again.

The Starscourge shot out, hitting her square in the chest. Elpis fell back, her skin burning as the Starscourge ate away at it, causing her to cry out. Ardyn didn't respond to her voice, only summoning his Rakshaka blade and moving faster than her eye could track, appearing in front of her, raising his blade-

It struck her stave as Elpis blocked him at the last possible second. Ardyn pulled away and swung again, again, again, and Elpis blocked him each time, trying to hold on to her stave and the Crystal shards at once. Every time she caught a glance of his eyes, there was nothing left of Ardyn in them. The only thing that remained was the Starscourge.

"Ardyn, please-"

Another stream of Starscourge hit her, singeing her shoulder. Her stave fell away from her into the vast nothingness of the Beyond. With a roar, Ardyn sent a river of Starscourge at her, neverending.

Elpis lifted her free hand, closed her eyes, and prayed.

The Starscourge hit her palm, rebounding off in a circle. Elpis gritted her teeth and kept her hand raised. Slowly, though, the Starscourge began to inch up her wrist, to her arm, pulling itself up her body. Her knees bending under the assault, Elpis whimpered.

She couldn't stop it. She couldn't hold out.

The Starscourge swallowed her whole.

Elpis' last thought was of her mother.

* * *

Elpis opened her eyes.

All around her was darkness. Slowly, she pushed herself up into a sitting position, her limbs feeling strange and formless. Between one blink and the next, light appeared around her, and she felt more solid. Her fingers found crevasses in the dirt beneath her. When she looked, she saw the Sun sigil, and the next she glanced up, she was once more in the cavern in Somnus' tomb.

She could not remember how she came to be there. Hesitantly, Elpis stood. She looked down at her hands. They were hers and not hers, just as she was there and not there, just as she existed and did not exist at the same moment. Nothing around her felt substantial. If she pressed too hard, it might disappear.

In the distance, she heard a bark. Elpis slowly lifted her head. Something about it tugged on a memory, but it was gone before she could grab it.

Then, much softer, so quiet she could barely make it out, she heard crying. A doorway full of darkness was off to the side of the cavern wall, the crying echoing out from it.

 _How strange,_ Elpis thought even as she stepped forward, _I don't remember there being a doorway here._

Through the darkness, she walked. She did not fear tripping or falling; somehow, she knew she would always find her footing. She followed the sound of the crying as it grew louder. Then, between steps, a child appeared before her. They were curled up, their face hidden in their knees, as they cried.

Idly, Elpis recognized that this child didn't look like other children. Their skin was a blue of the deepest ocean, their curly hair longer than their body and the color of dirt. The child was barefoot and wearing nothing.

Elpis took off her yellow jacket and approached them. "Hey," she said, her voice distant and soft and loud all at once. "You okay?"

The child-the girl-sniffed and looked up, and one of her eyes was like a night sky, darkness with pinpricks of light and a swirl of a galaxy, and the other was the bright blue of a midday sky with the sun blazing in the middle.

"I'm scared," the girl said, and her body changed, her skin going from blue to lava red, her hair becoming like clouds. Her eyes stayed the same.

"Of the dark, right?" Elpis said as she placed her jacket over the girl's shoulders. It was big enough to cover her properly. "The dark isn't so scary, if you make friends with the things that live in it. If one of them loves you."

The girl tilted her head. "There isn't anything else. Just me. There's only ever been me. I'm alone."

"Oh," Elpis said. "I'm sorry. I've been alone before, too. I think it's scary, too. But look-" Elpis held a hand out to the girl and smiled. "You're not alone anymore. You've got me."

The girl stared at Elpis' hand before taking it. She was both cold and scorching all at once, and she changed again-this time her hair was made up of vines with small flowers, and her skin was the dark of solidified lava. Elpis stood and, together, they made their way back the path Elpis had taken to her. Soon, they came upon another cavern. The girl winced at the light, holding an arm up to block it.

"I'm Elpis. Elpis Maialen-no," Elpis frowned, "Maelen. Or... or was it Izunia? Elpis Izunia. Or..." She shook her head.

"What does that mean? What does Elpis mean?" the girl asked.

Elpis thought hard. "It means... I think it means hope. I was named for hope. My mother named me for hope."

"What is hope?"

"I..." Elpis shook her head and pressed a hand to her forehead. Then she smiled down at the girl. "Call me Ellie. What's your name?"

"Eos."

Elpis blinked, and the girl was gone. She felt her stomach lurch as if she'd fallen from a great height. The world around her rearranged itself into a blue-green mist. A girl stood with her back to Elpis, her hair falling past her feet in white waves.

"I don't want to be alone anymore," the girl-as old as Laelia had been, before Insomnia fell-said.

 _Laelia? Insomnia?_ Elpis wondered. The words felt familiar and unknown to her.

Eos turned to Elpis but appeared not to see her at first. She held a small orb in her fingers, studying it. Behind her, darkness began to form, long fingers reaching out for the goddess.

"Hey," Elpis said, catching Eos' attention.

"Are you hope?" Eos asked, floating over to Elpis until they were inches apart. The darkness behind her vanished. She held the orb up, and so close, Elpis could see a galaxy lay inside. "I do not know what hope is. Will you tell me?"

"I-I don't know what it is, either," Elpis said. She nodded to the orb. "What is that?"

Eos turned her attention back to the orb. If she was disappointed that Elpis couldn't answer her question, she didn't linger on it. "Life," Eos said. "Imperfect, but life."

"All life is imperfect," Elpis said. "Humans are imperfect."

Eos stared at her, uncomprehending. Then she frowned. "I do not know humans," Eos said. "Why do you know things I do not?"

The goddess turned away from her before she could answer. "I don't want to be alone," Eos repeated, then tore one of her eyes out.

Elpis pressed a hand to her mouth to contain her scream. Sand fell from Eos' eye socket as she considered her eyeball. In an instant, Eos' eyeball began to change form, becoming more human, until it took the shape of a child. He wailed and it crashed like thunder. Then he grew, becoming older and older, until he was an old man, one that Elpis thought she recognized.

Eos, however, wasn't impressed. She tore out her other eye, and from it came another child, another man, with eyes that burned like lava. Then Eos ripped her tongue from her mouth, and it thrashed as it grew, becoming part woman, part fish. Eos sighed, and from her breath came a chill in the air, and another child took shape from the mist and grew into a woman with pale blue skin. Then Eos slit her throat, and from her blood came a boy with horns and fire in his gaze.

The goddess considered all of these creations. Then she said, "Will you stay with me?"

"Where?" asked Ramuh.

"Here," Eos replied.

"Here is nowhere," said Leviathan.

Eos considered this reply. Elpis realized her body had healed, as if she'd never injured herself at all, but it had changed again: Now her skin was a dark, cool brown, her hair tightly coiled curls, her eyes a shining gold.

"I will create us somewhere, then," Eos said, and Elpis' feet found solid ground once more. A desert rose up around her, achingly familiar. She watched as Eos and her creations played in this world of theirs, creating islands, mountains, forests, oceans, clouds, storms, snow. They created until they could create nothing else, and as Elpis watched, they grew bored.

"Are you not happy?" Eos asked. "I have given you everything I could. Is this not perfect?"

"But we are alone," Titan said.

"We have each other," said Eos.

Ifrit said, "It is not enough."

Eos cringed away from him, then screamed. She plunged her hand into her chest and pulled out her heart, which beat steadily in her palm. From it, a man grew, covered in Eos' blood, and so was Bahamut born from the turmoil and pain and anger in Eos' heart.

"It is not enough," Shiva sighed.

Crying, Eos turned away from them, and then she was a middle-aged woman. From her tears came a single, shining blue Crystal. She cast it aside with a scowl. As her foot fell on the world, she left behind darkness which swelled and pulsed like a living thing. The sight struck fear into Elpis' heart, though she could not remember why she should feel that way.

"They want more, always more," Eos said. "What else can I give?"

In an effort to please her children, her siblings, her family, Eos looked upon the world they had all created. Humans appeared in the world, first small bands, then growing into something bigger, something greater. Eos sat and watched impassively as humans created civilization; as her children grew to love the humans and decided to stay in their world, as they began to have children of their own; as an asteroid rammed into the world, almost killing humans entirely, only for them to be saved by the Astrals. Bahamut roamed the world after, and laid with a woman, who gave birth to a daughter with black hair and blue eyes.

Eos watched as Solheim rose and fell, her children fighting against one another, until they slept, save for Bahamut. She watched as a thick darkness began to grow, stretching over the land and taking root in the hearts of humans. Without once asking her, Bahamut gave the gift of light to two humans, one of the desert, one of Solheim.

Finally, the darkness' tendrils reached Eos. They trailed up her body until they found her heart. Eos struggled briefly, then her shoulders sagged as the darkness came to rest inside her.

Then she hung her head and wept.

"Eos," Elpis said, finally making herself move once again. She approached the goddess. "Don't cry."

"I must," Eos said. "I am alone and unloved."

"No," Elpis said. "That's not true."

"Is it not?" Eos asked. "The humans only remember me as a name. And I do not love them. I did, once. But they are selfish, arrogant creatures, who hurt each other for power. Why do my children love them and not me?"

"Sometimes," Elpis said slowly, "children have to make their own choices, and live their own lives. They grow up. They do things you don't like. It doesn't mean they don't love you."

Eos clutched a hand to her chest. "Is this pain?" she wondered. "Why do I hurt?"

"Because you're alone," Elpis said. She took Eos' hand and saw the darkness thriving inside her. "Because you love them. But you don't have to be. You can start again."

Eos' lip trembled. "I do not think I can. I am too old."

"El."

Elpis slowly turned until she caught sight of the man who'd spoken. His brown hair and blue eyes were known to her, and his smile made her heart ache. The man kissed a woman who straddled his lap, both of them naked beside a fire, one of his hands at the back of her neck and the other on her hip. Outside the building they were in, rain fell.

"I love you," the man murmured against the woman's skin. "Stay with me."

"I will," the woman said quietly, pressing her forehead to his. "I'll always be with you, Ardyn."

Ardyn.

Her memories came back to her in a rush, and Elpis found herself clutching a seashell at the end of a chain.

Beside her, Eos' body shuddered with the Starscourge. Elpis turned away from the image of herself and Ardyn and knew what she had to do.

Quietly, she held her hand out to Eos.

The goddess stared at it, expression going from confusion to rage to disgust to terror to heartbreak-

And finally, Eos' eyes lit with wonder.

"That's what hope is," Elpis said as Eos took her hand. A light burst forth from Elpis and enveloped them both, scorching away the darkness.

In a wheat field, far away, Alexus smiled to themselves. Rohit's gaze snapped to the distance as he, and the Astrals, and all their many Messengers felt it: The birth of something different, something new, that blazed like a star in the dark.

Power flooded through Elpis. It was the power of a million people, of a million humans, who had all come to know Elpis through the Long Night. They had come to know her as the Lady of Hope. They had known her once as the Oracle, as the woman who stayed by Ardyn Lucis Caelum's side, who could heal the Starscourge. They knew her as the one who helped bring back the light.

Their belief, their hope, filled her veins until she thought she might overflow. It was the hope of Noctis and his friends; of Stella and Sunniva and Cora and Crispin; of Laelia and Ravus and Charis and her mother.

She was Elpis Maialen of the Izunia tribe, wayward daughter; she was Elpis Maelen, who defied death and gods alike for the man she loved. Who would put an end to prophecies and fates.

She was the Goddess of Hope, of the Sun.

When the light faded away, the Goddess stood with a baby in her arms. Eos slept peacefully, no sign the Starscourge had ever touched her. She deserved a second chance as much as Ardyn did, if not more. Perhaps she would grow up once more to hate humans. Maybe one day she would have to be fought again.

Or maybe not. The Goddess could not guess. All she could do was give Eos the best chance at a different path, the same as the Goddess had given the healer she loved and the Prince who had become a King.

A room appeared around the Goddess, a small nursery, and she set the baby down in a crib. A mobile hung above the crib, with stars and a moon and a sun hanging from it. The Goddess lightly touched it so it spun slowly. The room was cozy, with a rocking chair in a corner, and a soft rug to place her feet.

It would do well, the Goddess thought.

An orange cat watched from the windowsill before jumping off into the shadows with a plaintive meow.

Azar was right. There was still more for the Goddess to do. She closed her eyes, holding the seashell charm in her hand, and whisked herself away from the nursery, promising to return.

* * *

The Starscourge burst away from her as she emerged from the pool of it. It slid off her blazing skin, sizzling with a sound like a shriek.

Ardyn looked up briefly before cringing and putting a hand up to protect his eyes. The Goddess raised her stave and, briefly, saw herself as the Starscourge must have: Her hair turned golden, her eyes shining with the light of the Sun, a yellow circle behind her head. Sigils written in an old language known only by the Astrals decorated her brown skin. She blazed like the Sun itself.

Starscourge reached for her with inky tendrils, trying to grab her, but they all dissolved before they could even touch her.

"Ardyn," the Goddess said, her tone full of love.

The monster paused. It knew that voice, had always known that voice, but now it could reach his heart once more.

The Starscourge screamed, and the Goddess dove for Ardyn, her stave going through his chest. The sickness fought her, grabbing hold of her stave, but the Goddess shone brighter than the darkness. She burned it all away from Ardyn's soul, until his body again resembled a human's, until his hair faded from magenta to brown, his eyes turning blue. She scorched every last bit of Starscourge from his soul and from the Beyond, feeling every single daemon on Eos die.

She could not save all of them. She could only save Ardyn. It was a burden she was willing to bear.

Finally, she pulled her stave free, and caught Ardyn as he fell. His soul disappeared slowly until nothing remained but his soul's crystal, just like everyone else's. It was cloudy and chipped in places, but the red color was vibrant once more, the color of a King with no crown and no throne, who had only ever wanted to heal people.

The Goddess held it close.

Behind her, someone clapped.

The Goddess did not look up. "Azar."

"Please," Azar said as they approached, "none of that. Just Alexus."

The Beyond disappeared around them until they both came to stand in the throne room of Insomnia once more. The Goddess' feet did not touch the marble floor, where the blood had long since dried. Her reflection was a bright shine.

"You planned this," the Goddess said evenly. She floated up to Noctis first, removing the Sword of the Father from his body and healing his wounds. His soul's crystal sank into his chest before disappearing, and the Goddess felt his heart begin to beat. The Lucis King lived once more.

"I mean, some of it was improvised," Alexus said. "Saying I planned it makes it sound like I cast a prophecy. Nah. But did I bet on you eventually becoming this? Yep."

The Goddess was silent as she went around healing everyone's wounds and returning their soul crystals. She placed a hand on Laelia's cheek, watching as the girl began to breathe again. From further away, she drew Lunafreya's spirit to her, her soul crystal appearing in her hand. It was a bit harder to bring back someone who had been dead for five years. But eventually, Lunafreya's body rested beside Noctis'.

Last, she approached Ardyn. He still held her mortal body, even in death.

"You risked much on a guess," the Goddess said, and it sounded like an accusation.

"Yeah, but if it failed, no one would be alive long enough to hate me for it," Alexus said. "In fairness to me, I did leave you some pretty big hints. And Ardyn always called you his Sun. Human belief is a pretty powerful thing. Even if it didn't make you into a Goddess, I knew it would give you enough power to heal Ardyn once and for all."

"I see it now," the Goddess said. "I see that we would not have won without you manipulating the strings. Without you finding a way past destiny."

"No need to thank me," Alexus said, gleefully.

The Goddess considered this as she studied Ardyn's face. He truly was healed. And yet...

"His body," the Goddess said, "it will always be immortal, will it not?"

Alexus scratched the back of their head. "Well, yeah," they said. "He spent two thousand years corrupted with Starscourge. It would be enough to twist anyone's body beyond human. So, he's cured, but he's still not mortal. And he'll always have some powers in him, since the Lucis Caelums are descended from Bahamut."

Ardyn's soul crystal was cool in the Goddess' palm. Like Noctis', it glowed just a little brighter than everyone else's.

"I could make him mortal," the Goddess said.

Alexus paused. "Sure," they said slowly. "But you're immortal now, too. Bahamut isn't really dead; gods don't die. They just sleep. He'll be back one day, and when he is, you need to be ready."

The Goddess saw the truth in their words. Even now, she could feel Bahamut sleeping, same as Ifrit, their power slowly growing once more. But it would be a long while before either of them was ready to rise.

"So!" Alexus said. "Goddess of Hope and the Sun. A pretty fitting ending for the girl the gods once claimed was forsaken."

With one last glance at the soul crystal, the Goddess placed it back into Ardyn's body, letting her hand linger on his chest. It took a few moments, but his heart began to beat, his chest to rise, and the Goddess smiled. She kissed his forehead and rose with a sigh.

"Your silence is starting to make me nervous," Alexus said.

"It should," the Goddess said. "I have never wished for divinity. You, who claimed to love me, should have known that."

"Yeeees," Alexus drew the word out uncertainly, "but it was the only way."

"I know that," the Goddess said. "Just as I know that you hope I will protect you from the other gods when they come to punish you for your actions. I will not. Just as Ardyn must atone for his choices, so too must you, Wild Flame."

With a wave of her hand, the Goddess sent Alexus away into the realm where all gods resided. Let the others figure out what to do with them. The Goddess was done with gods. She reached into her chest and found her soul crystal, now blazing like a miniature Sun. She held it in her palm and wondered.

Alexus was right. Bahamut would return one day. And despite her claims, the Goddess was uncertain of what would happen if she tried to change Ardyn's body back into a fully mortal one. There was a chance he could simply die, his body unable to handle two thousand years of existence.

"So not a perfect ending, then," the Goddess murmured to herself. A perfect ending would have been she and Ardyn growing old together and one day dying, as all mortals must. A perfect ending would have happened two thousand years before, with them as King and Queen of Lucis, with Aurea one day taking up the crown. It would have meant that the Lucis Caelums wouldn't have suffered under the gods for millennia.

The Goddess of Hope couldn't know what the future would bring. She and Ardyn would be something new to the world - not quite gods, not quite mortals. There would undoubtedly be more challenges ahead.

Purely happy endings only belonged in fairytales.

Well. She had never wished for divinity. But if there was someone she had to choose to spend an immortal life with, it was Ardyn.

Her soul crystal cracked, then shattered, and the Goddess felt her power leaving her.

That was what Alexus didn't understand about hope: It belonged to all beings, not just a Goddess. She did not want to be the carrier of hope for all humanity. She had only ever wanted to live with her husband. Believing only one person should be the savior of all humanity was part of what had gotten them into this bloody mess in the first place.

If humanity wanted to save itself and the world, they all had to fight for it. It could not be the burden of one person's shoulders alone.

Elpis picked up one of the pieces of her soul crystal. It was a dull gold now. She felt it in her soul: She was immortal, and she still had some of the powers she had been given. She wasn't an idiot. Bahamut would return. And when he did, she and Ardyn would be waiting for him.

Her soul crystal sank back into her body, and Elpis smiled.

* * *

A/N: We still have just a little ways to go, my friends. Stay with the story just a little longer.


End file.
